


Would You Love Me?

by RyuichiroSakuraba



Category: Persona 4, Persona Series
Genre: Alcohol, Bromance, Crack, F/M, Fluff, Hanamura Yosuke/Seta Souji/Hanamura Yosuke, Identity Issues, Language, M/M, Shounen-ai, Yaoi, mindscape
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-11-13
Updated: 2014-08-02
Packaged: 2017-11-18 14:16:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 66,278
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/561958
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RyuichiroSakuraba/pseuds/RyuichiroSakuraba
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Apparently, the Fool knew how it was like to be rejected - and experienced it the hard way. Yes, having a nice talk with the Moon is soothing for the Fool. But... He should know better that Zero will always be closer to One. YoYuYo. Shounen-ai. Maybe some yaoi later.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Scent 1 - What Now?

**Author's Note:**

> After a two-year hiatus, I'm moving to a new home and writing a new fanfic. Enjoy.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Apparently, the Fool knew how it was like to be rejected - and experienced it the hard way. Yes, having a nice talk with the Moon is soothing for the Fool. But... He should know better that Zero is always closer to One. YoYuYo, Male Cast x Yu, shounen-ai. Maybe some yaoi later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's up. *smokes*

Would You Love Me?

Yo. Sakuraba here. After so long, I've been up and about, whipping up this fic in my mind since Kami-sama knows when. I've been quite bothered by the 5th episode of the Persona 4 anime when Narukami said to a suicidal Ebihara he knew what it felt like to be rejected. So there.

This may not follow the exact scenes from the series so you've been warned. (Well, that's what fanfiction is all about.)

Oh, and by the way, this will turn into a YoYuYo fic with a sprinkling of The Male Cast x Yu, so if two best guy buds being intimate kinda irks you, then you're free to push that Back button of your browser. Flames are welcome. They can be the lighter for my cigarette so I'll definitely put them into good use.

Without further ado, I'll give you a taste of what a year (or was it two?) year hiatus can brew.

DISCLAIMER

Persona 4 and Persona 4 The Animation is owned by ATLUS and Index Corp. respectively. I do not own any of it, including its characters and its story line. If I did, I will be making a self-insert with my badass look and I'll be asking Shirogane on tips how to be a little manlier.

* * *

**Scent 1 – What Now?**

_**Full of Fools (Channel 0)** _

Ebihara's on the roll right now, playing Walk The Dog with me as her yoyo.

…better make that Drag The Dog instead. I mean, who in their right mind would skip class and then take the train to Okina and do some shopping for Ichijo's basketball team – at Croco Fur? Don't get me wrong, but do they really need those fancy heart-shaped shades to boost their morale? Girls can be hard to understand at times.

"That is obviously a lie!"

"Figures."

Sighing would be the best thing that I can do.

Hanging out at Atzrbucks made me feel a little better. Whoever theorized that ditching a day of half-assed studying can be fun sometimes is actually right.

"You're different than the other guys," the brunette gleefully said, admiring my table napkin crane.

Origami actually has its perks. Taking that volunteer job at the bulletin board pretty pays well – in kind. They send Macca leaves and some icky-tasting medicines for us to use when training inside the Mayonaka TV. Oh, and gummy bears too. Sugar boosts the brain when it's busy using those Personas, not to mention they're tasty and I'm kinda reluctant on sharing it with Satonaka (she prefers meat gum, whatever that is) or Hanamura (he's really not into sweets, or so I've heard from Amagi). So I habitually chew on it every time we visit Amagi's castle, much to their astonishment. Anyway, I wonder if the hospital staff knew our ordeal and they prefer giving me recovery items.

* * *

"I'm gonna kill myself!"

"Take it easy!"

"I know Satonaka! She's that frumpy girl, right? I'm a hundred times better looking!"

"You need to calm down!"

How can I be in this situation wherein I need to keep Ebihara from climbing this fence and hitting the rock bottom (It's concrete, duh. Or was it?), then passing on to cross the Gates of the Afterlife?

"Don't touch me! I'll kill myself if you get any closer!"

I sighed at the irony. I can't get any closer given the proximity of my slightly sweaty self and her slightly hysterical self. I felt a little shudder thinking what it would be like if she had to face her Shadow. She might be quite a handful. Someone save me…

"You parents would be really hurt," I said as calm as I could. Seriously, if I did that as well, my parents would be sad too. Well, so much for that. I'm not planning to kick the bucket anytime soon.

"He rejected me, didn't he?" Ebihara stated glumly.

Um… Is that right? You haven't even  _confessed_  yet. Rejection  _before_  and  _after_  declaring your feelings are two different things. I knew those two very well.

"Even though I became cute… I worked so hard to become cute. But what is the point if he doesn't love me?" she continued, tears falling from her brown eyes.

"I know how you feel."

I know. I  _damn_  know; somehow I felt like I'm in your shoes. That really brings me back…

Ah, it's good that no one is at the rooftop today, or else I might be sued for making a girl cry. That won't look pretty on my clean record.

She bawled he eyes out for good five minutes. I was afraid that she might not be stopping, given the shock that her eavesdropping (That's probably half my fault, but anyway…) concluded, but that was not what I should be mulling over at.

What I was not expecting was for her to fall into yet another crying spell over the days she went through being "gross", and being a "Buta-hara". Girls really put a lot of effort in their looks and what-not, don't they? It was amazing, commendable even. She epitomizes the saying "No pain, no gain." Too bad, that "gain" hasn't been gained yet.

Soon, it was my turn to be shocked when Ebihara suddenly asked me to go out with her. Maybe Jiraiya's Garu spell hit me. I think I'm getting dizzy just being caught in this emotional storm Ebihara has been fanning about. Come to think of it, it's been a while since I've been asked by a girl. Un-bear-able.

Tch. Kuma, your antics are rubbing onto your Sensei.

Since I transferred to Inaba, my eyes steeled over the fact that I would be keeping my emotions in check a little more than necessary. I'm still not over my senpai's rather flaring rejection me after I told him that I liked him.

Yes.  _Him_.

Realizing that I'm in the sticks, or so Hanamura had said when we were hanging out at Junes while sipping on lemon soda and pigging out on takoyaki, I can't be as transparent as I was back in the city. Who knows what people might say if that 'cool transfer student' and now appointed leader of the Investigation Team turns out to be, um…

Self-deprecation should not be my problem. But now, it nags me a little. I'm not ready to raise the anchor and sail away from here as we're handling a bizarre series of murder cases that even the police won't be able to solve by themselves, nor leave the cozy abode of Dojima-ojisan when I'm feeling a little at home there.

No. Certainly not now.

I've got to keep this façade up for a while.

Practice is stressful, and adding the task of keeping a certain girl's nerves in check raises the stress level two notches. I remembered the crinkling of a small plastic bag of those bears in my jersey short pocket so I fished it and tore it open with my teeth. Ebihara gave me a wide-eyed stare so I thought…

"Hm? Want one?"

* * *

"Yo, Narukami!" Hanamura called me with a waving Satonaka greeting her usual "Ohayou!" when a familiar voice shouted my first name in a sickeningly-sweet voice before I returned my "Good morning" to my two classmates.

What a drag.

"Yu!"

Oh Kami-sama. Don't tell me…

"Hey Yu! Let's skip school today and hang out!"

There goes my almost flawless school record. Strike two on my attendance. I'm a little shy when Ebihara was literally pulling my arm and her, um, lady mounds are swallowing my elbow. Interested or not interested, I still have some dignity to get flustered at the act. She's still a  _girl_ , and that doesn't happen every day.

"When did they hook up?" Hanamura pondered, whispers from other students tainted the air with curiosity on the next big gossip of Yasogami High.

* * *

Here comes the "Drag The Dog" training the team manager concocted for herself.

"I said I wanted caramel sauce!"

I kinda forgot that she craved for an iced caramel machiatto as we rode the train to Okina. My bad.

"Oh, sorry."

"I won't forgive you until you say you love me," she said in half-irritation, half-anticipation.

The fuck? I she only knew how much I have tried not to think about Ichijo when he hooked his arm around me at the time he told me he fancied Satonaka and his clean, after-shower scent that left me light-headed… Oh. Bad thoughts, be gone!

"Hurry up and say it, Yu-kun~!" she taunted. Tch. Must she be that  _desperate_  when I'm certainly uneasy in every possible shade?

"I… I can't."

There. Perhaps she sensed my distress and Ebihara seemed a little pensive for a moment before picking up on where she left off and manhandled me towards the Print Club booth BF Manual just across the haute couture shop nearby.

What was with that look, anyway?

…my prayers were answered.

The first kiss requires a certain mood and a certain person to be memorable. Tch. I'm such a sap for romantic flair.

* * *

The next day, Moron King's reprimanding is to be expected. Just for the record, I'm not a total shithead like you think. If I could only raise my middle finger in his face…

Back at Class 2-2, Hanamura may have noticed that we're slacking off at the murder case.

"Narukami, we're meeting up at the Junes' food court after school," he remarked, standing in front of my desk during lunch.

Satonaka eyed me casually. "We need to review the cases."

"Yeah… We should…"

I appreciate the concerned look coming from you guys, but then that  _ominous_  ring tone specifically programmed for a specific caller reverberated in my pocket.

"Not gonna get that?" Hanamura asked, raising an eyebrow at my rather disturbed expression.

"Ah. Right."

Ai. Calling. Tch. A beep from receiving the call floated in the air and soon, a screeching girl almost burst my eardrum to oblivion.

"You're slow! I'm your girlfriend, so you should answer in three rings!" Ebihara exclaimed, certainly peeved with my hesitation of accepting her call. Oh, how much angrier will she be when I cut her off.

I'm a guy liking  _other guys_ ; dealing with a girlfriend really isn't in my books. Dating Girls 101 sold at the bookstore near the gas station seems to be the direction where my spending money is heading later. It's on sale, so it probably won't cost that much. Or, maybe I should talk to Hanamura about it. I suppose he has more dating experience than I do. But then… He might get the drift that I don't swing the usual way. That poses quite a risk to my reputation so that idea might just go down the drain.

For now, I'll just stick with Ebihara and her ear-piercing vocal cords of doom.

Tch. Why's the door lock slippery with yakisoba-pan sauce?

* * *

_**Prince of Junes TV Shopping (Channel 1)** _

In the end, it's just me and Satonaka meeting up at the food court. Narukami is in a pinch. The hell? He just transferred recently, and boy! He nabbed Ebihara Ai. The  _Ebihara Ai_  who is rumored to be one of the fantasies of more than half the male population of Yasogami High. Darn his good looks. He came from the city, same as I but that was a year ago, and I didn't get that much attention. Lucky bastard.

"What's with those two?" Satonaka said caustically, huffing her cheeks in disgust.

I'd rather play dumb about it, since I practically see storm clouds. "Who?"

"Narukami-kun and Ebihara-san," she muttered irritably, almost crushing her juice cup in the process. Geez, chill for a bit. A guy certainly has issues. You wouldn't understand.

"Oh? Them? They're a cute couple," I replied matter-of-factly. They  _do_  fit quite well and as a guy with good taste, I can't help but get a little envious.

"Like hell they are!"

And Satonaka, with all the energy channelled perfectly due to her kung-fu training, slammed the table, making me do a spit-take with my lemon soda. Gross.

"They're all playing hooky, and for Kami-sama's sake, they're all over each other – in public! That's so not like him at all!" she screamed, not minding the questioning looks they are receiving from a few people near them.

Do I smell jealousy in the air? It's been a short time since Narukami entered Yasogami, and you're concerned for a guy that fast?

"I can't believe he prioritized a date over reviewing the cases today!" the kung-fu girl hissed and stuck her nose up in apprehension.

Bingo.

"What's the big deal? Whoa. Wait. Don't tell me…"

That lucky bastard certainly has girls fawning all over him. Even the tomboy Satonaka has her eyes on Aibou. The world must be crashing on my boyish charms.

Scratch that. I don't like Satonaka that way. Too intense for my exquisite taste. Period.

"Now I get it." I smirked, squinting my eyes for added effect. Satonaka's dense that she didn't actually get where I'm pointing at.

"Huh?"

See what I mean?

Now here's a primer for starters. "He's a pretty cool guy, has darn good looks, plus he can use a bunch of Personas."

The girl wearing that cheery green and yellow jacket was oblivious.

"What?"

"Oh come on," I replied, confidence seeping into my veins. Boy, I haven't felt like a matchmaker in a long time.

Okay, I lied. I pray that Jiraiya won't turn Shadow Yosuke on me. That's horrifying. It's actually the first time I'm going to do this. Sure, Ebihara-san and Narukami fit like a Queen to a King. But if the King is threatened by the Queen, that's a different story. I could definitely sense Aibou's turmoil. Satonaka might actually be cut to become Narukami's girlfriend since we're in the same team, not to mention we've spent more time together that it may actually work. Exciting.

"You may be in dire straits, but leave everything to me."

Satonaka's jaw dropped. "You've lost me. What's with you today? You're weird."

"Eh?"

Satonaka took a sip from her straw and raised an eyebrow, giving me the impression that she would've said 'You're pathetic' or something along those lines.

"Sounds like you're holding a Narukami-kun worship session earlier."

"Huh?"

Now, you've lost me.

* * *

_**When The Moon's Reaching Out Stars (Channel 18)** _

Hmph. Another boring day. I'd rather skip observing the club today and hang out with Yu-kun when Ichijo-kun (I find that calling him by his first name embarrassing without being his girlfriend yet) just asked me to be there for he will be announcing something later. It's been rare that it was actually the captain, my object of affection, who asked me to drop by club practice later, so who am I to refuse? Yu-kun's fine, but I will not let this chance escape my grasp.

"We'll be holding a practice match soon. It's been a while since we've had one, so let's give it all we've got!" Ichijo-kun cheerfully said, which made my heart a race a little, but hey, I've got to look as aloof as I can. I feel kinda bad for him that his members don't seem to be enthusiastic about the idea. Hmph. Slackers.

Well, that applies to me too. I only accepted the team manager position to see Ichijo-kun during club time.

"Yo! Got a sec?" the voice came from the gym entrance. Ara? The Prince of Junes? That's new.

"Oh, Hanamura," the captain acknowledged, then stammered a little at the people coming in.

Then I saw it. Ichijo  _blushed_. Not a good sign.

The Prince got a Devil in tow.

"What are you doing here?" Yu-kun said flatly.

Wait. Did Yu-kun just… look disappointed when he looked at Ichijo-kun? I blinked and he was back to his usual, collected self. I wanted to toy with him but there is a bigger task in hand.

The Junes Prince just brought Satonaka to apply as Ichijo's club manager. Excuse me? I'm the one holding that spot. Don't I have a say in this?

Geez, my dear Ichijo-kun looked surprised – and happy? It was like breaking my heart again after it has been mended with BluTack. I've got to be stronger than this.

"Can you give her a shot?" Hanamura-san queried, an easy grin lacing his expression.

"Yeah! Y-you bet."

The last straw.

The Prince and the Devil just had a talk with themselves and I can't believe what I heard.

_Life's hard for a girl in love._

That does it. Now eat my death glare. I'm not backing down, you tomboy. I'm light years ahead of your game.

"Wow, the all-out battle for love has begun!" Hanamura exclaimed. Well, now. The Prince of Junes plays Cupid.

"What are you trying to do, Hanamura?" Yu-kun asked with a sigh. Did he like Satonaka instead? But he didn't seem flustered when they arrived. Could it be…

Oh no. Should I be thinking what I think I shouldn't be thinking about? Putting two and two together...

I've got to ask Yu-kun one of these days. This game is getting complicated. My only wish was for Ichijo-kun to notice me. I messed around with Yu-kun to be able to get over it, but to no avail. I still have my eyes for that dense team captain.

Hmph. So much for trivial things. For now, it's what Hanamura-san said.

The all-out war of love has just begun.

* * *

_**Basketbelles, Go Go Go! – Season 2 (Channel 11)** _

The practice is tiring but fun. Satonaka even applied to become the team manager! I can't stop smiling until my cheeks hurt. Even the other members noticed. How lame. This is not how a team captain must act, but I'm just your regular guy, na?

It just pains me that I might've…

Good thing Narukami seems to be a nice guy to talk to. I even told him I liked Satonaka. Maybe he'd listen to my rants since he's straightforward and seems really dependable.

"Yo, Narukami," I started, pulling my shirt off and flopping it lazily into my gym bag. "I might quit after this coming game."

I heard a rustle. He might've turned to my direction when a clack from what I think was a head collided with a something solid by the locker area.

"W-why?" Narukami asked rather quickly, then hissing in pain. Who thought that the calm transfer student can be clumsy?

"My parents never really approved me joining the team. After all, we're a big family and I'm their heir so getting involved in this 'lame' stuff won't do me any good," I started as I took out my socks off and let it join my shirt.

"I've never told Daisuke anything about this, but I figured out that I could trust you," I continued, finding the hinge of the changing room door interesting. I hope you're not bored by this little tirade of mine.

"I just want to win my last game. Could you lend a hand?" This is certainly not begging, but I need all the help I can get.

"Of couse!" Narukami said smoothly.

Wonderful! With his awesome skills, he could be the best rookie in no time!

"Sweet!" I exclaimed as I stood from the cold bench. My emotions usually get the best of me, but hey, Narukami's cool. I don't have to hide myself, do I? I turned towards the newbie in glee.

"In that case, I'll confess to Satonaka after our victory!"

"Eh?" the silver-haired junior grunted, averting his gaze from the team captain.

Shit. Narukami looked like a deflated balloon for a moment. His face and ears were a little flushed.

"You alright, Narukami?"

A fever? Our victory will go caput if things go downhill from here. He should've told me. Maybe I was too harsh on letting them do lay-ups and long shots?

The newbie turned his back on me and he suddenly became busy fiddling with the bag in his locker. "Uh… Ichijo."

Did I just blow it?

"Yep?"

"…your feet stink."

I believe I just turned pink.

* * *

_**Kung Fu Amoeba – The TV Premiere (Channel 7)** _

How I hate the rain. It still gives me the creeps. I'm not bothered by these kinds of days, but the recent murders turn this supposed to be soothing day into a semi-living nightmare. No one appeared on Mayonaka TV last night, but it never hurts to be on the cautious side. If it still pours tonight, it's tune-in time.

Bakamura. He dragged me into this. Where's the 'all-out war for love' here? It's just a game with sweaty guys running around, passing the ball, and 'making hoops', as Ichijo-san put it when I had a crash course about basketball lingo a few days ago.

It's more like 'an all-out effort to ignore Ebihara-san so I could confront her later' game to me. And sending angry aura from a yard away isn't helping.

"Seeing you up close pisses me off even more," Ebihara-san muttered, loud enough for me to catch. Gragh! The cat then bares its claws, huh?

She continued in the same venomous tone. "I can't believe that I lost to a frumpy girl like you!"

Seriously, you have issues. Maybe I should call you Ahou-hara-san next time? You've lost me like Bakamura did. Well, he looked stupid in getting the ball stolen as he dribbled it like how NBA players did in the video Ichijo-san shown me yesterday.

"Frumpy?" The hell does that mean? Like chumpy? Or chubby? I work out every day! "And lost what?"

"I'm going through hell because of you!" Ahou-hara-san seethed, gritting her teeth as she enunciated every syllable.

The nerve! And here I am being the bad guy when I don't even recall what I did to cast her to Hell like she's yapping now. How about letting you have a piece of my mind then?

"I have something I'd like to say to you too," I said, keeping my voice in check. "The way you're pushing Narukami-kun around? You're the worst."

"Oh?" the team manager sneered, eyeing me like I'm the antagonist of my favourite kung fu movie. "You got hots for him?"

Assuming things? How pathetic. I never thought of Narukami-kun that way. What is this sleazebag even thinking?

"I'm his friend!" That's right. Narukami-kun just seen me at my worst, and he's still there. We raid Yukiko's castle every now and then for Persona training, aiming to be stronger to apprehend whoever caused my living nightmare.

For the first time, I saw Ebihara-san a little sad.

"You're loved and you have friends to boot," she mumbled mostly to herself. As if I can't hear her.

"You just have it all, you lucky bitch!"

My face stings. Getting physical? You're the lucky  _bitch_  since you're not in the TV world where I could sic Tomoe's dual-bladed laser naginata up your prissy ass. I need to make a comeback. And fast.

"The hell?!" I hissed, standing up from the bench. "If you're Narukami-kun's girlfriend, you need to treat him better!"

_SMACK!_

Slap Attack Game.

Ebihara: 1. Satonaka: 1.

Then it went more than that. Like…

Ebihara: 3. Satonaka: 3.

It's a tie! Bring the confetti in!

Well, not. It's a one-on-one catfight, and I bagging the win. The side of my vantage point saw Hanamura grinning at us like an idiot (he is for the record). Ah, and Narukami-kun too, with an air a concerned leader has.

"Oi, stop it you two!"

Way to go, Narukami-kun. But your effort is futile as I, Satonaka Chie, am not backing down.

"This might be Ichijo's final game!"

Huh? Ebihara flinched? So... That makes it tad easier to decipher. She really has it for the captain himself. Hm, hm. That's why. There's no more reason to continue. Besides, what's so bad with a draw?

"Just sit down and watch him!" the transfer student grimaced but returned to the game nonetheless.

I released my grip at her uniform collar. "Maa, a manager needs to do her job. You're the one in charge. Be responsible."

"Took the words out of my mouth, Satonaka."

Ebihara's awfully silent. She let go of me slowly and trained her eyes to where Ichijo-san is showing his basketball prowess. Worry etched slowly in her face. Maybe…

Nah. I'm too tired of thinking. I'll just go ahead and do my work as a temporary manager and leave Ahou-hara in her own world. I need to splurge on some hot lemon tea at the vending by the gym entrance.

… _lost to_ a  _frumpy girl like you!_

Hold your dragons. That means… Ichijo-san…

That sure is funny! Pfft! As if? I really need to get to the bathroom now! I can't hold it anymore!

Ebihara-san sure can make up funny assumptions. I guess we can be friends if she can crack me up like that. Not until she apologizes for abusing my cheeks anyway.

Off to the bathroom! To hell with team data. Let that love-bugged girl manage them. She does better work than me anyway.

Pfft! My stomach! "Hahaha!"

_Unbeknownst to the brunette, the Fool and the Magician were looking at Chariot as if she had grown two heads._

* * *

_**Inaba 5 O'Clock News (Channel 0)** _

At last, the game ended. And guess what. We lost. Big time. And Ichijo is dealing with this well. Surely, this guy…

"Good job today!"

I don't think I can have this drink bottoms up.

"Thanks for waiting. One beef bowl ready to be served," Aika-san announced as she entered the dining area with a steaming bowl of nikudon.

"Ah. Here! Here!" Ichijo said excitedly, gazing at the hot bowl with gusto. Hanamura made small talk with Aika-san as she handed him the menu while the captain split his chopsticks and began digging in.

"Itadakimasu!"

My stomach kinda flips and I can't put my finger on what I'm feeling now. Nagase has this grave look on his face as well. No wonder. Perhaps he has a gist of his best friend's ordeal. Perhaps he's the one who can see through Ichijo so well that he need not to be informed about their conversation a few days back in the locker room.

"Ichijo, I'm sorry…" Nagase started. Well, we need to keep the ball rolling until it slows down to its inevitable halt.

Ichijo looked up and stopped  _inhaling_  his food. For a man from a family of high renown, his manners are sloppy. He even had a rice grain on his cheek. And here I thought he was as graceful as I imagined him to be.

Oh, but his feet really don't stink. His week old jerseys that he failed to bring home to wash certainly do. I just made that up.

"Huh?" he said, slightly masticated beef, rice and egg still inside the caverns of his mouth, effectively muffling his speech.

"I've let you down…" Nagase continued glumly. He totally knew. It doesn't take a psychic or some fluffy bear's nose to sense that.

"…in your last game." I finished. The song reached its final measure. All things come to an end.

"Oh," a gulp. "That."

…at least he had the audacity to let the bolus reach his stomach through the help of a mouthful of soda and the pure, unadulterated peristaltic movement of his esophagus. Anyway, I digress.

"I changed my mind."

Whoa. That's news. And that left us surprised.

"That game made me realize something," Ichijo spoke calmly. He then smiled genuinely and soon, those words left his mouth while he flushed noticeably in high spirits.

"I really do love basketball."

I tried to keep my collected expression intact and not let a grin break out. This guy…really has a one-track mind.

He then toyed at his chopsticks and gazed at the remainder of his drink in recollection. "I really hate losing, so I can't end it like this." Lifting his head, he shifted at me with those strong eyes and sported a boyish grin.

"We were only able to compete 'coz you joined," he continued, speaking jovially. "I seriously owe you one, Narukami. Thanks, man."

All that's well ends well. Mom says that often. How right she is.

"I wasn't much help, though," I replied softly, getting along with the somber mood, and then I was a little shocked that I could catch a whiff of his nikudon-laced breath fanning over my face. Kami-sama, please grant my wish now. Don't let me get flustered. I still have a couple hundred yen in my pocket ready to be offered at the nearest shrine…

"And I'll definitely man up and confess after our next win!" Ichijo whispered excitedly. Like duh, your object of affections is just over my left.

Why aren't I surprised that he said that?

"Yeah right…"

"So let's continue playing basketball together, 'kay?" he requested. Pfft. As if I would say no to that.

"Sure!"

Besides, even if you get me blushing at times, I'm over with this little man-crush. You're quite lucky Ebihara cares about you so I'm stepping back. Good luck with Satonaka though. You'll definitely need it.

"Ah, Yu-kun, are you feeling under the weather?" Ebihara asked with concern. "You would be getting enough rest since the game is over."

Crap. This is what I was talking about.

"Ugh, I'm fine. I'll take some cold meds later, thanks." And she let me off the hook just like that.

Satonaka then chimed in while Hanamura rested his elbows at the counter, waiting for his food.

"Sorry, but I don't seem to mix well with a certain someone, so forget about my 'forced' application to be your club manager," she said, crossing her arms while pouting like there's no tomorrow. Hanamura earned questioning looks from the best buds that made him laugh uneasily. Ebihara was a different scenario though.

Girls, calm down. Starting up another catfight in a diner isn't befitting to your beauty. Remember, I'm between you two, so quit it.

"Was it?" Ichijo couldn't hide the slight disappointment in his voice. Heh. Your Prince (Amagi said she's like one so I'll stick to that) is a little hard to get, na? I feel kinda sad for Ebihara though, but she's  _still with me_  but hey, even an idiot would realize that she had her eyes on you.  _Always_.

Relief flooded me when the girl on my right just settled for giving Satonaka a weird look. Goodness gracious.

"Anou… Ichijo-kun?"

"Hm?"

It's about Ebihara 'manned-up' and took the first step forward.

"Would it be okay if," she stated, blushing faintly, "I stick around the basketball club for a little longer?"

Here's one thing about Ichijo. He appreciates all the help he can get.

"Of course you can!"

Seeing how calm she looked like despite that slight flush on her face, that made me believe that you can't get everything you want, but getting a little of what you wished for can sometimes be enough.

* * *

"Man. Did you see that? My last shot was soooooo awesome!"

"Of course I did. I would have covered for you if you missed."

"Like that would ever happen!"

Hail Ichijo-sama, the God of Awesome Last Shots. If he would be part of the Japanese mythology and become a Persona, what would he look like?

The rain let up, rendering those cumbersome umbrellas unusable. The Ichijo-Nagase pair bickers as usual, with Hanamura and Satonaka following not far behind. Apparently, she hadn't forgiven him yet for breaking her Seiryuu Densetsu DVD. Promises of steak and giving her takoyaki instead does not comprise an apology.

"Hey, Yu."

Ebihara.

Weird. She dropped the honorific. What now?

"Hm?" I bowed my head a little to face her. Noticing she slowed her pace, it meant that we should be talking out of earshot. I didn't mind, so I kept up with her.

Smiling a little, she set the bomb off.

"I'll be okay on my own now."

Whoa. Breaking up huh? I'm a little surprised since I heard that relationship endings should be done in private, plus it's a little bit rushed, but of course, I already know the reason why.

It's Ichijo, right?

"I wanted you to baby me a little since you're nice, at least until I got over the shock of being rejected," Ebihara explained softly, her brown orbs watching the object of her affection getting his head bashed by the taller soccer team captain.

"But you haven't confessed yet, so it's not a rejection," I corrected her, smiling a little at how she's taking our break-up lightly.

Ebihara giggled. "Since when did you become so wise, Yu-ojisan?" Mirth filled her eyes, and she's not letting go of the fact that I sounded like an old man. Or, wait… Did I?

"Hey, I resent that…"

The girl finished her chuckles and sobered up a bit. "Joking aside, I don't know how to say this…"

Her change of tone rang alarm bells in my system. In a split second, another bomb went off.

She twiddled with her fingers and spoke in a mellow manner. "Your eyes are on Ichijo-kun too, r-right?" She seemed reluctant asking me that. Shock isn't the right term in my dictionary as of the moment. Of all times, why now?

Girls are radars, sonars, satellite scanners, X-ray machines… Fuck. The possibilities are endless. Someone got a phone number for a funeral firm? I'd like to give them a ring.

My pale face must have given me away.

"You've been always nice to me, so I'm gonna let it slide. I must be a burden; I dragged you everywhere, you kept pace with me in every whim… Hell, I might've kissed you without knowing how much you…" Ebihara stated apologetically, raising her head to look at my distraught features. My hands are clammy. Fuck, I really don't know what to say.

"Were you offended? I'm sorry… I didn't mean to make you feel bad... Just... Don't try to kill yourself. Your parents will be sad if you do."

Damn it. My words are being slung back at me. Boomerangs suck. Well, what now? Nothing much I can do about it. There's no need to be sorry anyway. The truth stings like a bitch.

_Just grin and 'bear' it!_

Kuma, you're a lifesaver.

"How original," I chuckled, recovering a little from the fallout that bomb had caused me. "I wasn't planning anything of the sort. I'll enjoy my youth and die in my estate after a century or so."

Thankful, Ebihara took a deep breath.

"Holy... I thought you'd be a goner," she chuckled, tension slowly dispersing into thin air. "Insomnia would be my best friend once that happened."

"Then I'll haunt you to make you feel more guilty about it," I countered, earning a few more giggles. There's always this nice, liberating feeling whenever I come out to someone and they feel okay about it. Darn, I was planning to have this hidden to everyone until a few days before my departure next year. Oh well. Shit happens.

Ebihara crossed her arms and gave me that playful mock glare. In a few weeks that we're together, you can just pick up their tics and mannerisms. Go figure.

"Looks like I have another rival then. Even if I'm against that frumpy girl and my ex-boyfriend, I definitely won't lose to both of you!"

"Good luck!" I said with a 'Fight-o!' pose, complete with a fist in the air. Ugh. That's lame. Sue me.

"Don't worry. I gave up."

Curiosity urged her to pry me more about it. "Eh? How come? Ichijo-kun's great, plus you've gotten close to him as well. Why hold back?"

If I told you that even if I swung the other way, it was a temporary spur of the moment thing; would you believe me?

Ichijo worried the hell lot of you. That's enough.

"I'm bothered by his smelly feet."

Ebihara grimaced, scrunching her nose in disgust. "Was it? Then that means… most of the team members can be…"

"How nice," I wondered softly, "you're taking my situation in a stride, na?" I pried, trying to know why this girl isn't a little irked when she knew I am, well, gay.

She perked up a little and faced me, stating matter-of-factly: "Jun-niichan plays in the other field as well."

Judging by her contemplative look, she put her index finger on her lips and gave me a little assurance of an emergency sanctuary.

"When things get tough and you can't discuss it with Hanamura-san, just give me a call, ne?"

So she winked and scampered off to walk beside Ichijo, not minding Satonaka behind them, and started to ramble about the importance of hygiene, antibacterial socks, and proper washing of clothes. And the basketball team captain  _glowed_ _._ Red this time.

Sorry Ichijo. I got you one love-struck manager.

"Ah, Hanamura? Satonaka?"

The two stopped and faced me, seemingly interested on what will I say next. Producing the trademark TV world glasses from my PE jacket, I waved it at them.

Of course, Hanamura was ecstatic and Satonaka looked eager, chewing her usual meat gum in gusto.

"I'm feeling great. Care to visit the Electronics Department?"

* * *

 _**OMAKE (Channel** _ _**π** _ _**)** _

"Oi, Satonaka, don't charge in too much. Jiraiya can't use Dia like opening a faucet. It's tiring me too, y'know?" Hanamura groaned, instructing his other self to heal the still active yet burned-out girl. He slumped at the plush carpet of Amagi's castle, taking a breather while Narukami stood guard, ready to lash Izanagi, Pyro Jack, or Ara Mitama just in case the training session becomes nasty.

"Well, is it my fault that Tomoe spends body strength in performing her attacks?" the girl in green explained, jumping back on her feet, ready to strike at the bird and twin Shadows running about the area.

"Whoa! Chie-chan is in good shape! Go get them!" Kuma assured and proceeded to scan the enemies at the floor they were on. "Just be beary cautious, there are a few shadows that resist physical attacks."

"Alright!" Satonaka exclaimed, and started to mow everything that's blocking her way. "Protect me, Tomoe!"

Hanamura sighed and removed his headphones from his ears before scratching his head in annoyance.

"Ne, Narukami?" he started. Said boy tilted his head and gave a soft "Hm?" as a reply.

Honey brown orbs watched the girl wreak havoc to the poor Shadows in front of them while Kuma enjoyed fanning the kung fu girl's flames of destruction (though the bear said that Tomoe is an ice-type Persona) and followed Satonaka wherever she went.

"Do you really think this is necessary? She's just wasting her energy smacking Shadow asses, but she never seems to be improving," the Junes Prince noted, yawning in tiredness.

The silver-haired teen fished his pocket for a plastic bag of sweets and ripped it open with his teeth. "She needs to train more to be at par with us. We've been in the Shadow-busting business long before Satonaka had her Persona. I think it's just fair for her to be at least of equal strength compared to us when we raid the next dungeon…" he trailed off, clenching his fist.

"…should there be another victim getting thrown here, right Aibou?" Hanamura completed the other's speech.

Narukami nodded. He then chewed on a gummy bear before commanding the brunette. "Hm. Hanamura, try calling out Jiraiya and Bash those Shadows by your left."

The music-loving teen sighed in relief. "If you told me to cast a Garu mini-tornado, I will faint," he said with a weak chuckle as he summoned the Magician card before punching it lazily to call out his trusty Persona and he didn't even move an inch.

"Clean 'em up, Jiraiya…"

…even the Frog Ninja canted its head sideways at his other self's demeanor but proceeded to do the work anyway. A shuriken throw later and around ten Shadows were annihilated on the spot.

Smiling tiredly at his mirror self (though not really, he's the same Shadow Yosuke, only wearing a mask to protect himself from getting hurt), he shot up a thumbs-up sign and dismissed his Persona with a soft "Thanks!".

"See what I mean? While Satonaka could destroy around one to two Shadows per Skewer, you can decimate ten or more of them in a single Bash," Narukami explained, chewing yet another gummy bear. "You even got a healing spell while you're at it."

"Now that you mention it…"

"Sensei! Chie-chan is in pretty bad shape! Somebody heal her!"

Hanamura croaked and sighed for the nth time. "Here we go again… I don't have any medicine or soda here…"

Gray orbs appeared serious and handed the bag to his friend. "Try this. It keeps me well-charged despite constant summoning of Izanagi."

"Well, it won't hurt to try something sweet when you're out of nutrients, right?" he shrugged and took a light brown bear. He noticed the slightly tangy scent so he deemed it was not too sweet.

"Damn! It's too sour!" Hanamura jumped, shivering at the acidic quality of the wretched bear. "What flavour is this?!"

"Cane vinegar," his partner deadpanned, reading the list of whatever things the pack of bears would taste like.

"And blueberry, watermelon, lime cordial, red wine, paella, Parmesan cheese, flowerpot soil, margarita, fresh snow, liver, fish sauce, paprika, cayenne, hair gel, popcorn, toothpaste…"

"Alright, stop, STOP!" Hanamura screamed. "How many of those are even edible?"

The other pushed his eyeglasses up and pondered for a bit. "All of them. They said it's 100% natural." He pointed at the said statement just below the nutrition facts.

Dusting himself off, he stood and popped a few joints. "Damn. I must be lucky to end up with just vinegar. What are you chewing now, partner?"

"Hmmm. It's the last one. White, so it is…" said Narukami who was squinting at the package, searching for its flavour while popping it in his mouth. "Rubber eraser."

"What?!"

"I think. It tastes like one," he trailed off, holding the wrapper in disgust, then turning pink in the face and ears as he aimed to pocket the detestable piece of plastic.

"Aibou?" He was about to punch his silver-eyed friend to spit it out before anything bad happened to him when he felt energized after swallowing the remaining bit of jelly that stung his palate.

"At least it worked. Now go Jirai-"

"Execute them, Tomoe!"

A localized blizzard commenced, freezing the Shadows with cold fury. With a kick, the interconnected frozen abominations shattered into thousands of pieces, leaving a triumphant Satonaka Chie laughing evilly at her display of power. Training ultimately creates forces to be reckoned with.

Unfortunately, it almost froze the two males in its wake.

Before blacking out, Hanamura Yosuke happened to catch the flying gummy bear packaging that he saw fluttering in the mini-snowstorm.

The fearless leader? Out of commission.

"Oh. That's why… I'm getting you a regular fruit flavored gummy bear pack made exclusively for Junes…"

Why?

_Blue-green – toothpaste_

_Yellow – popcorn_

_Red-streaked yellow – paella_

_White – latex condom_

"Kuma!" Satonaka exclaimed, flailing her arms in the air.

"How do I use this Goho-M?!"

* * *

Ah. It's done after taking three hours and lighting up four menthol cigs.

If the characters are OOC, well, 'bear' it. *smokes*

Read and review.

I'm getting the next one ready in two to three days. It's a long weekend for me so you "might" get an update, if I don't have a lot of orders at the store. I don't have holidays.

Episode 5 gave me enough muse to write; the update might or might not follow the anime storyline, so I hope I made that clear. I'd be delving on Narukami's past and other stuff in the succeeding chapters.

Ja.

And much love.

-Sakuraba Ryuichiro, indulging on Gotong Batangas, a liter of Red Horse beer, and smoking Black Marls while busy uploading his Instagram shots


	2. Scent 2 - I Want To Marry You Someday!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the attack of rubber-tasting gummy bears, frozen asses and smelly feet, the Fool was found out to be hiding a few skeletons in his closet, including one brown-haired, music-loving idiot. He's gotta be worried. But... He ought know better that Zero will always be closer to One. YoYuYo, Male Cast x Yu, shounen-ai. Maybe some yaoi later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew. Done porting this too. *smokes*

Would You Love Me?

Yo. *smokes* Doing well? Had your dinner yet? I've munched on tomato ketchup potato crisps and downed a bottle of beer – as usual. Nothing beats good booze when writing leisurely, I believe. This encompasses a tiny part of the storyline – mainly the Golden Week and the appearance of Tatsumi Kanji, though he's just saying hello during the start of this fic. Don't expect much exposure of a certain bleached-blonde male. Hilarity ensues.

It is a prerequisite for me to build up some relationship foundations so pardon me if the fic's pace is kinda slow (I think it's slow, but meh…). I need to anchor those personalities down so there would be a way to establish the pairings later.

The fanfic aside, Persona 4 Mayonaka TV glasses are coming out for pre-order! Okaa-chan promised me to handle around 80% of the cost so that I could get one for my prescription lenses. I love Hanamura's frames, but I like Amagi's (…coz I like red. I'm  _sooo_  biased.) and Tatsumi's too (BADASS!). The music lover's spectacles seem sturdy though. Wearing contacts is great, but then if I fall asleep or go swimming and then I forgot to take it off… That's a different story. Ugh.

Anyway, this is another serving of 'Would You Love Me?', fresh off the grill. Unbeta'ed; I don't have one and I'm not planning to have one.

DISCLAIMER:

See Scent 1. I'm lazy that way. If I own the Persona Series, I'd be summoning Amatsu Mikaboshi (wearing a trench coat and smoking a cigarette while casting Megidola or Grydyne) instead of Naoto having him as her Persona in that spin-off novel of hers. Someone nab me a copy of Persona x Detective Naoto soon.

* * *

**Scent 2 – I Want To Marry You Someday!**

_**Mayonaka Team Racing! (Channel 4)** _

Damn students, swarming like flies, buzzing around my ears. One wrong turn and I'll smack those two's faces in a flash. So what if I busted a few jaws of some biker gang? Fucking media got that covered in some news channel later. So what? Hmph. They'll never understand.

On the good side, I wonder how that kid's faring now. Poor child had his ass wiped by some obnoxious girl for losing her cellphone strap. Crap, na? She can always buy one in Okina; there're tons of those when I went there with Konishi. Ah. That was ages ago.

"Um… Anou…" a reluctant voice, almost like a whisper, pricked my attention. The fuck?

…and then I saw him. Who was he again? Silver hair (It's too vivid to be gray, and who the hell are you looking at?!), junior collar pin, the look of fresh air… Tch. Not good.

"The hell you want?"

"You dropped this," the transfer senpai stated with a slight smile. He's not smirking at me, na? So what if it's mine? Whoa. Wait a minute. That's that poor kid's strap I made last night! I've been that careless? I think I might skip class and have a bowl of noodles instead for I only had a toast for breakfast.

I quickly snagged that pink bunny strap from this senpai and planned to ignore the class door and proceed to the Practice Building for a cup ramen. Those Junes vending machines are hip, and the beef noodles are hell worth my yen.

He's now smiling full mast. Grrr.

"Got any problem with me?" I'm furious now. No one makes fun of Tatsumi Kanji and gets away with it. Senpai or not, you're dead meat.

"No," he said easily. "By the way," he continued, crossing his arms over his chest.

"It's cute."

And he went on his merry way towards the stairs.

Jaw-dropping is my latent ability. Damn. It's just this time I found out.

* * *

_**Bo-bo-bo-bo-BORING! (Channel 0)** _

This lecture is crap. We're in Japan, not in some magic-imbued society where we mix potions and memorize hex spells. Mayonaka TV is way cooler than that. If this world would be like the backside of the TV, it would be more interesting. However, having the Shadow selves of everyone is enough to give me the creeps, thank you very much.

"Oi, Aibou."

Just when I thought I was near Dreamland, Hanamura engaged in a new game called Prod Your Partner's Foot VII. Is there a prequel? No. Adding seven makes it sound awesome. Jiraiya, is it possible for you to smack your other self with an Inaba trout? This is irritating. I just answered with a grunt and rested my head on my desk.

"Let's skip afternoon class! My treat!"

Oh Kami-sama. After Ebihara, it's Hanamura asking me to wage war on my attendance record. Okaa-san wouldn't like this the moment she gets a wind of it. Should I throw him off a bit? Let's try this.

"Are you asking me on a date?" I said sleepily, turning my head just a bit to see the mortified look of my partner-acclaimed partner.

Hanamura threw a rubber eraser at me. It hurt.

"That's not even remotely funny. I'm still not over Saki-senpai, you know? Besides, I'm not Ebihara to put a collar and a leash on you," he said angrily.

Really? How nice of him, na? Hanging out with Hanamura is refreshing; his loud mouth never ceases to amaze me. Perhaps city boys think alike, sound alike, groove alike, swing alike… Scratch the last part. I play for the other field.

Then the same Hanamura paled. "Hey, wait a second. Date? You messing with me, right? You nuts?"

I sighed and straightened up, leaning my back on the hard back rest of my chair.

"Maybe."

That hurts - again. Apparently, Hanamura flicks his right index finger at the cartilaginous part of my ear perfectly.

"Pulling my leg, eh? How kind of you, partner. Let's say that you can't get that nice bag of Tropical edition of gummy bears later," he taunted, evil smirk evident in his voice.

I froze. Gummy bears. Fuck. I can imagine Kuma screaming 'Yosuke, Sensei is weak against gummy bears!' with  _conviction_. Crap.

"Alright, alright. I give," I surrendered, head hanging low. Somehow, he really knows how to corner me.

Get ready for my payback soon.

I grimaced at the sight of that used rubber eraser. Tch. That undoubtedly doesn't taste good as far as gummy bear flavors are concerned.

* * *

Surely, he kept his promise. A truckload of soft, chewy, gem-like sweets is key to my well-being. And this makes for emergency rations in Mayonaka TV. Better safe than dead.

Would these spoil easily? Hanamura was on the roll at the bargain corner of the Junes supermarket here in Okina. Products on half price usually are nearing their expiration date, aren't they? Tomoe might be capable of preserving it if she froze one hollow TV; thus converting it to a makeshift icebox.

How brilliant. I could feel Izanagi patting me at the back. I'll speak to Satonaka one of these days.

From now on, ration shopping will be a weekly chore.

"…and then… Oi!"

My train of thought crashed into a wreck of metal, melted bears and broken TV parts.

"Are you even listening to me?" Hanamura snapped, pouting like a kid. Seriously, ain't that cute?

What? Cute? Hanamura?

They don't go together. I swear.

"Man, maybe this is why Ebihara dumped you," music lover boy said disappointedly. "You look dumb that way. Girls don't dig that, you catch my drift? What were you just thinking?"

Lesson One learned. Never space out on Hanamura again. His continuous talking requires constant maintenance. In short, attention is a must.

"Groceries." Tch. Good thing I remembered. Boredom will be the death of me soon, I promise. Facing Nanako without a full shopping bag might yield unwanted results at the house later.

Honey brown orbs widened. "That… Sounds housewife-y to me."

Oh how right you are. Living alone for a year drastically changes you.

"Dojima-san isn't going out of work early, and Nanako can't carry a full grocery bag on her own," I said matter-of-factly, sinking my back on the plush seat before sipping on an iced chai latte.

Hanamura smiled a little. "Well, sucks to be you," he replied, munching on a small baguette with tomatoes and blue cheese. He's got good taste. That kind of gourmet thing definitely costs a small fortune. Do goats receive pension once they're too old to provide milk? Anyway, blue cheese smells like sweaty feet sometimes. Reminds me of Ichijo.

"Say, mind if we run through your list?"

I was a tad taken aback. I hope Hanamura won't notice it.

"I'm kinda tired of seeing Inaba's Junes supermarket section so how about we head out and do the groceries here? Perhaps they're having better offers – well, the bears are definitely cheaper here."

For real? That came out of the famous Prince of Junes? Er, make it  _Inaba's_  Prince of Junes. Maybe there's an Okina prince too? I'm dying to see what will happen on their first meeting.

"Ne, aibou, stop staring," he said with a shudder. "People might get the wrong idea."

My brain's cogwheels are screeching to a halt.

Homophobic much? I'd better take note of that then.

I finished my latte in two gulps and fished for my wallet. "Sure thing. And don't say I didn't remind you about how vexing this task is."

At least he calmed down. Lesson Two learned. Hanamura is not a fan of people staring at him, especially when the staring party is another boy – like me.

"Wait!" he exclaimed, effectively stopping me from doing anything what I was doing, then gestured at the waitress who was done serving a big teapot for three by the adjacent table. He took a yen bill – a hefty amount by the way, and slammed it unceremoniously on the table. Did the waitress just giggle?

Hanamura leaned his arms on the table, then took the last baguette and polished it in a heartbeat. No wonder he's toned when I saw him at the lockers when we had the practice game two weeks ago. He knows how to eat.

"My tab. I told you it's my treat. Gotta thank Satonaka for spoiling my 'Welcome to Inaba!' gift."

In that case, he hadn't forgotten.

Lesson Three learned. Hanamura may be an idiot (as per Amagi's Prince) but he has pretty good memory. Good to know.

Man, why am I keeping tabs on Hanamura's behavior?

"Hey." Hanamura pouted again, obviously peeved at my thinking spree.

"Thanks for bringing me here," I said softly as the waitress brought the receipt in a small leather bill folder. It's really hard to hide my disbelief at the whopping 4890 yen price of two drinks and a sweaty sock canapé. What the fuck. For a city, this is expensive. Chagall Café. Remind me to bring a real date next time.

"So… Welcome to Inaba, Aibou!" he grinned and announced energetically, forgetting the fact that I blanked out on him a few seconds ago. Damn. He's even  _ecstatic_  that he saw my incredulous expression.

Huh? People around us will definitely think there's something wrong in our brains.

"We're in Okina," I opted to speak in a deadpan tone. Satonaka's right.

"Oh, yeah… I'll say that again once we're back." He chuckled sheepishly, scratching at his ruffled mop of brown hair for added effect.

He  _is_  an idiot.

* * *

"…ah… fit..?"

"Argh… Hanamura, stop bombarding me with questions… We're… Ah!"

"I told you to relax a little! Stop whining like a bitch. You  _certainly_  asked for it. I'm just doing the honors."

"But…"

"No buts, aibou. After all, you're the one who opened up the grocery thing. May I remind you that I'm carrying more stuff than you do, so quit yapping," Hanamura retorted, chewing on a clear white gummy bear as he rebalanced the ton of items we bought in Okina. Lychee. It's good, by the way. Canned pineapples, tomato juice, red miso… The list was endless, and the bags were really _HEAVY_. I can see the refrigerator turning into a doomsday ration stash.

"How can your cousin carry all  _these_ anyway?"

I am appalled. This whole ordeal is making me sweat buckets even if it's still cold out.

"Dojima-san  _has_  a car," I pointed out.

That should simplify things. The music loving boy just grimaced but carried on holding the items that we bought, well, most of it. True gentlemen are quite rare nowadays.

"I'm so going to have a 100-yen massage later at Junes," the brunette trailed off with a sigh, dreaming of sitting on those cushioned couches that vibrates like no tomorrow.

Hm… I'm starting to feel like a douche here. He snagged my stash of mini-jellies at the supermarket bargain, spent a hell lot of yen for some puny milk tea and though he cantankerously remarked that these damn things are heavy, he managed to 'bear' it and carried most of them, leaving me with just chicken and veggies.

"Anou, Hanamura…"

The said boy used his shoulder to knock his headphones off his ears, the electronic gadget dropping lightly on his collar.

"Yep? Can't hear you clearly."

"C-could you stay over for a while later?" Whoa. Me? Stuttering? I can be such a girl, you know. This idiot really has his charm, now that I thought about it. The way he looks at me rather sends me off to some bottomless pit.

"Eh?"

"Nanako loves Junes," I said, trying to make a logical argument. Wait… I really don't have to do that, do I? Anyway…

"And I've got this gut feeling that Dojima-san would be coming home late." Damn, what a roundabout way of saying things. All I wanted to ask was…

"So if you don't mind staying for dinner…"

Hanamura grinned. "Of course not! It's long weekend and I don't have a shift today. Maybe you have a massager at your house?"

"Erm, I'll ask Nanako if they have one," I replied, not having an idea if the Dojima household needed one. Perhaps Dojima-san has Adachi to knead his shoulders? "And I'll cook, since Adachi-san cornered me on whipping up some bento for the Dojimas during the Golden Week."

"Hell, you cook, man?" the brunette shot up incredulously, eyes glittering at the mention of free, home-cooked food.

"Yup. This is a payback for what you got me earlier," I managed to say in a casual tone. At least I got my point across.

"Pfft. That's overboard. I wanted to treat you in Okina, no worries. But if you're offering, well, who am I to object? By the way, what are we having?" Hanamura said, brushing off the notion of equal exchange with a chuckle. We are currently at the gate of the house and I rang the doorbell in haste. Despite his cheery look, the brunette's muscles are ready to give out any minute.

"Karaage."

The door slid open, revealing Nanako in her school clothes and carrying what seemed like futon covers. Ah, she must've got the laundry off the clotheslines after she got home.

"Oh, okaeri," she said with a smile, then taking notice of the music lover clutching a myriad of stuff. "You brought a friend?"

* * *

"It's been a while since we had fried chicken!" Nanako said in glee. Flowers literally pop out every time she smiles and chews her share of meat. Refreshing. She knows the difference of home cooking and store-bought bento.

"But I like Junes stuff too!" she muttered, looking eagerly at Hanamura before singing her trademark 'Everyday Young Life Ju-ne-su~' theme while she's at it. The brunette turned pink at the attention. Apparently, not everyone likes the fact that Junes had a franchise in Inaba.

Hanamura scratched his head in embarrassment. "It's not that special, really…"

I fought the urge to chuckle. "You've got a fan, Hanamura," I chided, then deftly swiping one of the chicken pieces on the center plate.

"Haha! That's too much, aibou," he mock-pouted before gobbling a large piece of meat. "Ah, it's good! Man, how can you come up with this?" he praised, bolus muffling his speech, gaining a slight reprimand from Nanako.

News about Hiiragi and Yamano flashed on the TV. Tch. The murders. Nah. I shouldn't be thinking about that during mealtime. It could destroy my appetite (I only had gummy bears and a chai latte the whole afternoon) and it would be a waste if I don't finish my plate.

Suddenly, the home phone rang and Nanako got up immediately.

"Ah! It must be otou-san! I'll get it!" she cried, hastily walking towards the phone. Hanamura eyed me curiously while I shrugged, dropping any conversation that may come up regarding the phone call. Muffled voices from the receiver flitted in the air, the mood slowly becoming heavy. Even Hanamura noticed it, and like me, he never said anything about it.

Soon, Nanako approached me with the cordless phone in hand. "It's otou-san. He wishes to speak to you," she said glumly. What the hell happened? I nodded before taking the receiver and took the call. Nanako fled off and went to her room. This isn't looking good.

"Nanako-chan?" Hanamura whispered, eyes following the retreating back of the girl.

"Hello?"

"Ah. I just called to tell you that I won't be coming home tonight," Dojima said, sounding apologetic. I can almost see what's coming next. "Some rookie just got sick and I'm replacing him for his shift. A lot of leads came in too, so I would get busy for a while. And…"

Tch. Here goes.

"That vacation that I promised you? Sorry… I won't be able to make it. I just told Nanako about that. She might be a little depressed about it, so… Could you take care of her for now?"

I don't have any say in this, but I really don't mind either.

"I will, Dojima-san."

"I appreciate that. Sorry to put this on you all of a sudden." And the line went busy, signalling the end of the call.

* * *

"That sucks, ne? Poor Nanako-chan," Hanamura trailed off, his hands busy wiping the dishes dry. His feet tapped along an unknown beat as he listened to his headphones.

"Sure does," I replied, rinsing the last of the cutlery before handing it to the brunette. "We'll be stuck here for the next few days. No wonder she's down. Nanako is ecstatic at the day out that we'll be having. Now, it's flushed down the drain."

Hanamura quirked up a bit. "How about going to Junes? Nanako-chan  _loves_ being there, like she told me while we're cooking. I mean, it's not a grand vacation or anything, but that could cheer her up, don't you think?"

A pretty nice idea.

"I could treat her to steak as well," he added, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning his backside on the edge of the tiled sink.

What?

"I think I'll pass on that," I said, receiving a gaping fish expression from Hanamura. "You splurged a lot on me and our Mayonaka TV supplies. I'll treat Nanako instead, thank you very much."

The boy punched me at my arm. "Dumbass. I have my account in Junes so I could pretty get almost anything that I wanted. Besides I like you and Nanako so it would be fun spending time with you guys," he chuckled, then giving me a thumbs-up sign and a playful wink.

I literally froze.

Like? As in 'like like'? Tch. Stop having weird thoughts. He's your friend, not to mention your first here in Inaba. He wouldn't think of that. Argh. How embarrassing.

"Ne, aibou. Spacing out on me again?" he taunted, grinning like a madman.

I opted to bash him a little bit. "I appreciate that, but hands off my cousin, you pedophile."

Hanamura paled instantly. "Oi! That's below the belt! Who said I have it for Nanako-chan?! Geez. Get your mind off the gutter, man!"

Okay. Dodge successful. By the way, that alarmed expression of his?

Absolutely priceless.

…plus, it makes a good blackmail material.

* * *

_**The Young Life (Channel 1)** _

Ah! Long weekend! Nice weather! It doesn't get any better than this.

Now, I just turn here and boom, there's Narukami's house. We agreed to meet around 8 am and Nanako-chan's in for a surprise. Poor girl, she's mature for her age, but being always cooped up in the house can make someone lonely. Narukami and I will rectify that. Tou-san gave me a rather fat allowance, and adding the tips that I hogged from working part-time, I've got yen to burn, baby! Oh crap, I'm saving for a new ride, but hell, it's rare to have close friends here so it wouldn't hurt to spend a little for them, right?

Honestly, having Narukami is one of the best things that ever happened in Inaba. That nice jerk (How can a jerk be nice?) certainly has some unique way in doing things. No wonder Satonaka is fawning on him. Murder cases aside, it's fun being with him. Nanako-chan is a bonus too. She loves Junes! For once, I heard that. A lot of people despising you just because your father owns a mall franchise isn't the best scenario to be in. Well, this is a nice change.

Okay, enough of that. Time to ring this and get the fun started.

"Hanamura."

Someone's eager to go out, judging from his outfit.

"Oh, Hanamura-san. He's ready to go out," Nanako-chan said curtly, and returned to her seat and began flipping on channels.

Ahem. Now here goes the script.

"Hm? Nanako-chan is watching the house? Why don't we bring her to Junes with us? Onii-chan is too cruel to leave Nanako-chan alone during the weekend."

"Onii-chan?"

That perked her up. The plan is going smoother than I expected. Of course, the fearless leader churned up the modus operandi, so its success rate is quite high.

"Where did that 'onii-chan' come from?" Narukami queried, quizzical look practically painted all over his face. Well, sorry for doing an adlib. I kinda forgot the script.

Then, Nanako-chan thought for a moment. She soon rose and headed towards Narukami. "Um, o-onii-chan? Can I, um, go with you?"

Cute! I'm so going to take her home! Um, never mind.

"I can't see any reason not to, right Yosuke-nii?" the silverhead grinned, chucking the same grenade I unconsciously threw him earlier. Messing with the script now, aibou?

"Sure sure! If it's Nanako-chan, it's always a yes!"

And I meant that.

"Alright! I'll go change Onii-chan, Yosuke-nii!" she squealed, running back to her room. Narukami ushered me in and soon, we sat at the low table near the TV.

"I was glad this plan is working," Narukami noted, flipping the channels until he saw the weather report. It said it'll be sunny the whole day and for the rest of the week. Ah, this is youth at its finest! I can do anything during the holidays without bothering for an umbrella. That means that there will be no Mayonaka TV sightings for a while. We can mull over the details of the cases without fear of having another person kicked into the TV world anytime soon.

"But hands off my cousin, Hanamura," he continued, a knowing smile lingering on his face which promises a whole world of hurt if I do something wrong.

Could he just let that down? Fuck this jerk. I'm pubescent, but hell be damned if I try to hit on Nanako-chan. That breaks my code of conduct. I like her, but as a little sister!

"I fucking know, Narukami," I smiled too. Complete with a gritting jaw. I love to punch those daylights out of him if I had a chance. Yanking my chain much?

"Good." And he returned to his easygoing, casual aura. What a freak. I'm not stepping in your yard full of landmines again.

Narukami served me some senbei and soda while we're waiting for Nanako-chan when the doorbell rang. I wonder who would it be? Aibou shuffled his feet towards the entrance and then I heard Satonaka speaking to him.

Soon, Nanako-chan came out with her beige overalls and a pink jumper. I almost screamed "Cute!" but then Nanako-chan ran behind Narukami. She looked rather shy, which raised her cuteness level to 10.

"Oh, Narukami. You guys are going out too?" Satonaka asked. "Yukiko and I will be going to Junes."

Crap. I thought it was just us going out?

"Ah, we're going there too!" Nanako-chan beamed. Ain't she the cutest? Damn, most of the kids are brats, but this one's different. Must be in the genes.

…well, except Narukami. And Dojima-san. They've got good looks, but that's about it. Dojima-san is scary, and Narukami is a jerk.

"Onii-chan and Yosuke-nii made me join them!" She waved a hand at me, coaxing me to head to the door. Wait! I haven't finished my soy sauce senbei yet! Oh well, I continued to munch on it as I presented myself to my kung fu teammate.

"Yo," I greeted with continuous munching. These crackers are so good, I couldn't stop pigging out on it. I should ask Narukami what brand is it later. Nanako-chan held my hand as well as Narukami's which I find rather endearing. I never had a little sister since I'm the only son in the family.

"Oh, well. Let's head out then!" Satonaka chimed, ready to go in the heartbeat. "And remember that you still owe me for my DVD."

Not surprising. Letting out a sigh, I imagined that there will be a bigger dent in my allowance now. But, it'll be a small price to pay for having Narukami and Nanako-chan to hang out with. After all, this is blackmail material, you jerk with a serious sister complex.

"Sizzling steak for me, Hanamura," the kung fu dragon ordered, eyes glimmering at the thought of having extra meat in her diet.

I'm doomed.

* * *

_**Poison Cooking 101: KO in One Count (Channel 2)** _

Holidays are nice, but that meant more work at the inn. I'm lucky they gave me a whole off despite the fact that it's a busy day. My time in the TV world still gives me the chills but I think I may be able to handle myself now.

Hm. Chie seems to be a little late, but it's okay. It's the first time I asked Chie to hang out. She usually asks me to go shopping or have a bite at Souzai Daigaku most of the time and for the past few weeks I turned every single one of them. I'm glad she agreed to laze around for today.

"Yukiko! Yoohoo!"

Ara? Good timing. I was afraid that she might call me and cancel this all of a sudden. I was a little surprised that she has Hanamura-kun and Narukami-kun in tow. Oh, that girl might be Nanako-chan.

"Yo, Amagi," Hanamura-kun greeted with a salute, winking at me. Please, I'm not over that 'scoring with a hot stud' thing just yet. But then again, I might be overreacting. They saw me despise being caged up in my own little world. They have no qualms whatsoever. They still considered me as a friend. Perhaps it's about time for me to level up.

"Ah. Chie, Hanamura-kun, Narukami-kun, and you must be Nanako-chan whom he is always talking about," I acknowledged them as they approached me at this table good for five.

"I'm Amagi Yukiko," I said with a smile, Nanako-chan nodding and introducing herself in response while grinning widely. I heard from Narukami-kun that she likes Junes a lot and now it definitely shows. She's soaking up every positive vibe here which is nice for the holiday mood.

Seeing that Chie has this glint in her eyes… Ugh. I can only think of one thing. Grease, grease, and more grease. She's pulling Hanamura-kun to cough up a two-inch steak. I prefer just a salad. Or something remotely fatty… My savings are now in my subscription for a 3-month supply of Quelorie Magic… If I get fat, all my hard-earned money and dieting days will be all for naught.

"We're having STEAK!" Chie boomed, raising a fist in the air as she seated herself beside me. She then jabbed her elbow against Hanamura-kun's ribs repeatedly.

As expected…

"Hanamura's paying!"

Ouch. Chie, that's gotta hurt. Well, these two guys still owe us for inhaling our cup ramen. I'm still angry about the aburaage that Narukami-kun devoured without mercy.

Serves him right, na Chie?

* * *

How sad…

Nanako-chan doesn't have her mother anymore due to some accident years ago. Hanamura-kun's too careless. He'd been with Nanako-chan long enough to call him a big brother (aside from Narukami-kun) and he hadn't been in the loop to know that?

Oh, right. It was just yesterday when they met, as told by my silver-haired classmate. Sorry Hanamura-kun.

Nanako-chan shook her head. "No. I'm okay. I have Otou-san, and now I have…" Good thing she's mature for her age… Ara? She's  _blushing_? How cute! Kyaaa~

I'm so going to take her home! …or maybe not. Narukami-kun glares at Hanamura-kun rather fiercely when Nanako-chan gazed at Jiraiya's real self.

"Onii-chan and… Yosuke-nii too…" There. And she stammered a bit too. Perfectly done, Nanako-chan. You are now the cutest person in the planet.

"Besides, I'm really having fun right now. I love Junes!"

"I know right?" Hanamura-kun seconded while flashing a megawatt smile at Nanako-chan, then counting from one to three before singing the Junes theme with Nanako-chan in unison.

"Everyday Young Life Ju-ne-su~!"

Chie choked on that final piece of meat upon hearing that sickeningly-distracting voice of Hanamura-kun.

"That came out of the one who hates being the scion of Junes? Ne Hanamura, is this for real?" my best friend scoffed, clearing her throat with a few coughs.

…never had I imagined that Hanamura-kun can be shining brightly that it makes me wonder if he ate something stupid.

He stood and proudly huffed his chest out. "Let's say I've had a change of heart."

"Anyway, Narukami-kun, why bring Nanako-chan here? Shouldn't you be preparing for the Golden Week vacation?" I inquired, picking on my steak. Chie swiped half of it and I didn't mind. I guess she was waiting for me to give up on it anyway. I'm craving for chocolate now… It's this time of the month…

It piqued the Prince of Junes' attention. "Something came up," he looked at Narukami-kun as if having an eye-to-eye conversation that I couldn't comprehend. "So we're making the Golden Week worthwhile for Nanako-chan."

"And being at Junes is a part of it?" Chie said in mid-chew of her medium-rare steak.  _Mid-chew_. Oh. My.

Chie raised a peeved eyebrow on me. "Don't tell me…"

"Hahahaha! Snrk… Mid-chew! Ahahahaha!"

"Here she goes again," Chie grumbled, finishing off her meal with a huge sip of soda. Ah, the calories. Sorry! I can't stop laughing.

"Mid-chew. Sequel to small, prequel to large. Mid-chew. Ahahahaha! So Chie is stuffing her guts with  _mid-chew-_ rare steak. Ahahahaha! Snrk…"

"Ne, Onii-chan? What's mid-chew?" Nanako-chan questioned out of curiosity.

"It's something that you not need to ask," Narukami-kun said, effectively putting out the barrage of questions that might follow next.

Nice save.

But… Mid-chew! Ahahaha! Is that the cousin of molds? I remember the all-purpose cleaner at the inn. It says "Fights molds and…" Mid-chew! Oh, my stomach..! Hahahaha!

* * *

_**The Justice Pig – Rise of the Immortals (Channel 5)** _

Yukiko-nee calmed down. She totally exhausted herself laughing out like that. That's a little un-ladylike to me, but it suits her. Why? Just because.

"Ne, Nanako-chan, let's get some drinks, shall we?" Yosuke-nii offered, slipping his hands inside his pockets. Yay! We get to go inside Junes! There's a lot of stuff being sold here! Even those gummy bears that Onii-chan shared with me before he cooked dinner yesterday were tasty and Yosuke-nii said that it's from Junes in Okina. That's still Junes, right?

"Yes! Oh, what does Onii-chan, Yukiko-nee and Chie-oneechan would like?"

Oh. Did I say something wrong? Yosuke-nii has this constipated look on his face. Reminds me of Otou-san when he ate too much bananas.

Chie-oneechan sported a feral look at Yosuke-nii. "I'll take, hmm. A TaP soda. No, make them  _three_  then."

"Quelorie Magic for me," Yukiko-nee said curtly. Oh, that's the one with Risette in the TV commercials. They said it's for girls. Maybe I'll ask Otou-san if I can have it too. Yukiko-nee is beautiful, and so is Okaa-san. Maybe I'll be beautiful as well if I drank that?

"I'll just get what Nanako wants," Onii-chan said while looking at Yosuke-nii with fierce eyes. Are they… having a spat?

After a loud sigh, Yosuke-nii bent a little and patted me at the head. "Yosh! Did you get all of those? We're raiding the drinks section for that so lead the way, milady."

The  _Prince of Junes_  is awesome!

"Yosuke-nii! I want to marry you someday!" I grabbed his arm and dragged him to the cool automatic doors of the supermarket. Ooh! I can't wait!

"What in the world did Hanamura give her?"

"Snrk… Ahahaha! Nanako-chan and Hanamura-kun? Ahahaha! It's like making out with your uncle! Ooooh, I can't breathe… Hahahaha!"

"…"

* * *

"Ne, Yosuke-nii, are you having a fight with Onii-chan?" I had to make sure they won't bite each other. Otou-san said that there are some cases that he handled regarding crimes of hate and he said it ended in an ugly way that he never told me the details. I'll grow off a few more years and then I'll ask again.

He laughed it off, his long arm reaching for three cans of TaP soda and chucking it into our shopping basket.

"Nah. He's just being overprotective of you. Haha."

"What do you mean?" I don't seem to get him. Why would Onii-chan be worked up when I just went out to buy drinks with Yosuke-nii?

"Let's just say he's having this sort of barricade sickness and he just loves pulling my leg," he replied cheekily, then pointing at the Quelorie Magic bottle an arm's breadth from me. I eagerly picked one and put it in the basket that I was holding.

"So, what does Nanako-chan want?"

"Hm. I wanted coffee, but the ones here have too little milk…" I wondered aloud, recalling how Otou-san puts a lot of cream in my coffee mug when he makes some. I scanned the selection and I think I saw what I would like.

"How about milk tea? I'll get one for Onii-chan too!" And with that, I got two bottles and set it over the drinks already in our stash.

Yosuke-nii chuckled at my pick. "Hm. The descendants of the same bloodline have the same tastes, eh?" he spoke, picking a small can of dark roast iced coffee and swiped the basket from me. I was thankful; the number of drinks made it a little heavy for me.

We made a beeline towards the checkout counter and stayed close to Yosuke-nii. The towering figures of adults creeps me a bit.

But! He did not answer my question directly! If he's having a fight with Onii-chan, I'll make sure they'll be on good terms before the day ends.

* * *

"We're back!" I beamed, toting around a plastic bag with Chie-oneechan's and Yukiko-nee's drinks while Yosuke-nii grabbed a bottle of milk tea and threw it at Onii-chan.

"Nice catch, aibou!"

"Nice pitch," Onii-chan smirked playfully at Yosuke-nii's antics as he opened it and handed it to me.

"Thanks, Onii-chan!" I took a sip and looked at how these two newly-found brothers of mine interacted.

Ysuke-nii threw the final bottle as if it was a softball. I smiled at my two "brothers". They seem okay now; perhaps it's just part of their regular banter. Boys in our school tend to be like them as well. Worst case scenario, they even pulled punches against each other. Their bruises made me shudder, but their relationship did get better after their fight. Otou-san told me that there are times that people realize how strong their bonds are when they deal with huge problems and solve it together. Maybe that's how Yosuke-nii and Onii-chan ended up. I hope there's no need for them to smack each other. I can only do so much first-aid.

"Good! No need for you to kiss and make up Onii-chan, Yosuke-nii."

"Snrk… Ahahaha! Two boys don't kiss and make up, Nanako-chan!" Yukiko-nee started her laughing fit again, tears starting to well from her eyes. Confused eyes of Chie-oneechan landed on me, before asking…

"How did you come up with such an idea?"

I pondered for a moment. "I saw that on 'Basketbelles! Go! Go! Go!' yesterday."

The jacket-oneechan laughed sheepishly. "You're watching too much TV, Nanako-chan. Haha…"

Is it just me or Onii-chan seemed to be the one constipated now? Yosuke-nii did a spit take with his coffee. Hm. Interesting.

"Anyway, Nanako-chan," Headphones-nii spoke, steering clear from the next lines in the conversation as he changed the subject entirely. "Do you want to have a picnic tomorrow?"

"Mou… We need to bring boxed lunches once we do…"

Yukiko-nee recovered quickly. "Eh? You can cook, Nanako-chan?"

I shook my head. I'm not as great as you might think. "I could only make fried eggs and toast. But Oniichan…"

Shock fled his face instantly. "Huh?" He doesn't pay attention as of the moment.

"This man," Yosuke-nii rounded towards Onii-chan's back and grabbed his shoulders, "makes the best karaage in town! Pretty cool, na?"

"I just do it for fun, Hanamura," he said with a slight shudder, turning a little pink in the process.

"You don't have to be so modest about it, aibou! With that, you've got Satonaka beat hands down!"

An angry vein popped on Chie-oneechan's temple. "Wait a minute… Are you telling me that I'm not able to cook?"

"Can you?" Yukiko-nee is surprised.

"Eh? Really?" Onii-chan shared the same astonished look.

Chie-oneechan stood and declared war against Yosuke-nii. Now, I certainly know that this isn't like my brothers' war earlier.

"Then… I challenge you for a cook-off!"

A confident grin laced Yosuke-nii's face. Oh my… He turned out to be too handsome. But then, Onii-chan's face rivals his as well…

"Bring it on," he dared, trusting his abilities well. He knows his way around the kitchen when I was helping them prepare yesterday's dinner, though I just made a salad. Despite being cut by a knife and being clumsy in one way or another, Yosuke-nii has a very extreme inclination to what does and what doesn't taste good. Plus, he did not overdo the chicken when he fried the second batch. Not close to Onii-chan's, but it definitely tastes  _good_. Yosuke-nii has a knack for strong flavors, but his technique is amazing.

Chie-chan definitely got shell-shocked. I wonder why.

"Let's have Nanako-chan as a judge!"

An Inaba Iron Chef tournament, ne? I nodded in glee.

"Okay!"

"Am I competing too?" Yukiko-nee inquired. She cooks too? This is fantastic! If they will cook at our home, then it surely will be lively!

"Well, let's set that sometime after Golden Week. After all, Narukami has to do the bento boxes, right Onii-chan?" Yosuke-nii announced, smirking at my silver-haired brother. The fridge is full and there's enough food to make bento boxes for tomorrow. Should I help Onii-chan later? I might be a burden since I can only do so much though.

"Man, don't you feel sore from what we did yesterday…" he sighed, plopping at a seat beside Onii-chan, cracking his neck joints in lieu with his strained voice.

Onii-chan turned beet red, followed by a Jacket-oneechan's jaw-dropping and Aka-nee's widening eyes convinced me that there is some sort of thing happening with Yosuke-nii and Onii-chan. I just can't put my finger where.

"So, let's go to Samegawa floodplain for a picnic!" I squealed in delight. I truly am. I'll just not think about this whole scene now. Otou-san once said that too much thinking rots the brain.

* * *

_**Behind The Yellow Tape (Channel 8)** _

I reek of smoke and stale sweat but it doesn't matter. I have to go home early tonight. It's Children's Day and I managed to snag some gifts for my kids at home. Yu's practically a man in the making, but now he's just a kid.

Nanako's? Check. Yu's? Check. Beef steak meals? Check. Side dishes? Check.

Dojima Ryoutaro, reporting for duty – as a father.

I feel such an ass for not being with Nanako during the first few days of the Golden Week. If that bastard didn't get sick… Ugh. Cigarettes should wind me down. I lit one as I practically zoomed across the street, hoping to get home before the 8 o'clock news or they'll end up having dinner by themselves. Placing a quick call to confirm my soon-to-be arrival, I can't help but feel a little apprehensive at the fact that Nanako might be sad because we didn't have that vacation. Yu's another thing – he should not be babysitting, despite Nanako being far away from being a brat. She's well-behaved, but then again, that should be my task as a father.

Ten minutes before call time, I parked my car at the garage. Home sweet home.

"Ah! Otou-san, okaeri!" Nanako welcomed me. Was she a little cheerier than usual?

"Dojima-san. Okaeri," Yu followed suit, smiling with that boyish grin of his. He really looks like his mother, though his grit is a different story. Haha.

I sunk at the sofa and flicked the TV on, the preview of tonight's news scrolling lazily at the bottom part of the screen. Nanako began rummaging the bag of food and set the table for us three. Yu on the other hand readied the electric airpot for tea.

Someone's having a happy mood, eh? What did I miss?

I'll let them talk later. For now, I've got to say my part. I don't know how to start, but fuck, I'll try.

"Ah, Nanako," I stumbled a bit, my little girl perking up and looking at me questioningly. "I'm sorry I broke my promise again…"

"Ah! It's okay! Onii-chan played with me! And Yosuke-nii too!"

That blew me away. Even that Hanamura kept my daughter company?

"He… They did?" I got more that I asked for. It's been a while since Nanako was  _this_  perky after my long stay at work. I should send my regards to that Junes boy as well. Damn. He even helped me pick Nanako-chan's gift and check for Yu's nearest size. Despite being goofy and having a weird hobby of wielding fake swords in public, he seemed like a good kid.

"Thanks."

He was smiling earlier, and that same smile softened. "It's not a big deal. We enjoyed hanging out with Nanako. Hanamura slashed his fingers making onigiri filling though."

Nanako nodded and looked concerned. She mirrors her mother every time she does that. "I had to disinfect and bandage his fingers," she trailed off, "but they're healing up nicely. And he makes spicy onigiri! We don't have that sold at the konbini two blocks away!"

"Haha. Was it good?"

"Yup! Oh, Yosuke-nii said he'll drop by often, and Chie-oneechan and Yukiko-nee promised to play dress-up tomorrow!"

Yu, you've got good friends, na? I look forward to meeting Nanako's 'oneechan-tachi' soon.

Ah, the little one noticed it. As a die-hard Junes fan, she undoubtedly won't miss that Junes logo on that stark-white plastic bag.

"Ne, Otou-san? What's that?"

I chuckled at the curiosity of my daughter. Never fails to amuse me. What a reward after a hard day's work. "Ah, today's Children's Day, so I got you a present."

Her expression of joy is a father's treasure. Smile more often, Nanako.

"Eh? Yatta!" She dug into the bag, earning fond gazes from me and Yu. "And… It's a shirt! Oooh. There's a weird thing in front too! It's so weird that it's funny!"

My nephew is making tea when I caught his attention.

"This one's for you. You're not a child anymore, but then, fair's fair."

I am a little nervous if he will like it. I asked Hanamura earlier and assured me that Yu will dig it. Besides, what's the best present when summer is just around the corner?

"This pair of swim shorts… is pretty fashionable. Its fabric… This is leaning to the more expensive side…"

Hmm. Hanamura does his job well. "Really? So you like it?"

"Ah. Very much. Though it's a nearly tight fit, it makes you produce less drag in water. Thanks, Dojima-san."

"Haha! Good to hear, and you're welcome, Yu."

Next time, I'll ask Hanamura on how to apply for a Junes Advantage Card.

"Otou-san, Onii-chan! Let's eat together!"

Now now. My little girl is hungry. "Ah. Let's eat then. It's been a while since we last eaten together."

"Yep! It sure has!" Nanako replied, cracking her chopsticks apart. "We need to eat before the steak goes cold."

I hope every day would be as nice as this.

"Okay, okay."

* * *

 _**Omake – Flash Rewind (Channel** _ _**α** _ _**)** _

Clouds block the sun perfectly, making the day a little cooler, highly conducive for a picnic at the Samegawa floodplain riverbank. There are other people hanging out as well; some having a fishing competition here, a few youngsters flying kites there. People of all ages seem to flock the wideness of the bank, releasing themselves from the harsh routine of everyday work and school. Holidays are vacation days; everyone should make it worthwhile.

"Ah! The great outdoors!" Hanamura stretched and breathed deeply, inhaling the fresh, grassy scent of the air. "We should pick a place… Right! There!"

He marched near the river, scanned the area for rocks too big to lay a blanket on, and proceeded unravelling the picnic cloth he was carrying the whole time. Amagi and Satonaka found the spot fantastic since it's near the crystal-clear water, allowing them to enjoy the view of dragonflies zooming about and water striders skimming the calm running water.

Surprisingly, Nanako was splashing at the river shore not far away from them, getting water into Narukami's divine bowl-cut hair. Not that he minded though. He mock-retaliated, attacking the air instead of his cousin.

"If you see them this way, they look like siblings," Amagi remarked, arranging the cups on the blanket while Satonaka pulls out the drinks from the cooler.

"So, why is 'Yosuke-nii' not joining in the fun?" Satonaka chided, nudging the brunette with her elbow. The said teen acted hurt and sent a playful grin instead.

Hanamura held out their handiwork earlier at the Dojima kitchen. Man, he cut himself at least twice again today, but hey, he made some decent onigiri. Something to be proud of, ne?

"Someone has to be around once the others get home and say 'okaeri' or 'lunch is ready' whenever time requires," he explained simply, taking out the tamagoyaki and makizushi Narukami and Nanako whipped up that morning.

"Whoa, you're taking this 'brother' thing pretty seriously," the girl in green declared, pouring tea from the portable vacuum flask she pledged to bring.

Amagi giggled, fortunately not levelling up to a full laugh trip assault. "It's a nice change. Hanamura-kun was like a grumpy old man last term. Maybe a little sister and an overprotective brother are all that he needed," she said, checking her lacquer bento box if the sweets she got from the inn were still presentable. The trip to the floodplain was uneventful, but it never hurt to see if their dessert is unscathed. Luckily, it doesn't seem damaged. Presentation is always a key for handmade sweets.

"Oi, who's a grumpy old man?" Hanamura grumbled, sitting at the blanket, pouting in resentment.

"See, you're acting like one now," Satonaka pointed out, raising her nose in the air as Amagi giggled along.

"I'm  _so_  sorry for being grumpy," the music-loving teen retorted, exhaling dejectedly. It did not last long though. "Maa, I should fetch those two; my stomach will definitely agree."

With that, he stood and approached Narukami and Nanako who were now trying to fish; perhaps an Inaba trout or an amber seema, judging by the thickness of the rod Narukami got from that old man near the wooden plank. They've got two annoyingly cute goldfish staring at Hanamura in the bucket nearby and…

"Onii-chan! There's a bite!"

As Narukami reeled in with those steel gray eyes squinting in determination…

_SMACK._

"Ouch." Hanamura could see stars in broad daylight.

Being slapped with an Inaba trout is definitely not the best feeling in the world, only second to being slapped before a break up. Slimy headphones are not cool.

"Ah. Gomen…"

* * *

"This is… Narukami's power?"

"I can't stop eating, even if I'm on a diet…"

The silverette smiled weakly and offered the Investigation Team's girls some more. "No need to be shy. Dig in. There's more than enough for everybody."

Nanako watched as the two girls pigged in wave after wave of makizushi as she was reaching for Hanamura's onigiri.

"Oh, Nanako-chan? That onigiri, Narukami-kun made it too?" Amagi asked, eyeing the almost perfect triangular rice mass – since it's a little too thick at the base.

"I did that," Hanamura responded hesitantly, putting his hand behind his head, looking away, finding the dragonfly lounging on a blade of grass interesting enough to trap his gaze.

Satonaka was dubious. "Eh? Is that even edible? I'm a little scared to try that." The girl in red stayed silent, equally skeptical on having even just a nibble of Hanamura's creation.

"It's good. Far from good even."

Hanamura shot up, seeing Narukami licking his fingers after he polished that rice ball in three seconds. The brunette was out of words. He didn't allow anyone to help him make it for it was his pledge for the picnic, as much as the silver-haired teen and Nanako wanted to interfere when there was blood almost everywhere within the perimeter of his working vicinity. They only did when they administered first-aid to the Prince of Junes.

"I want to try it too!" Nanako beamed, reaching out for a rice ball. A few bites after, the girl smiled. "It's spicy, but I would certainly ask for seconds."

Narukami seconded. "Me too."

"Well, if Nanako-chan says so, then I deem it safe," Satonaka said, shrugging before grabbing one from the tray.

"Itadakimasu," Amagi said grace and she sunk her teeth in one of Hanamura's concoction.

A few moments after…

"You can cook, Hanamura. I give you that," the girl in jacket puffed her cheeks out. Sure, she got her second and third helping. "I'm certainly not giving up at the cook-off."

Amagi nodded as well. "It's intense for my taste, but this is something to write home about," she said, lips curling to a small smile. "And I don't plan on giving up either. You just wait, Hanamura-kun."

"Eh?" the brunette flashed a lopsided smile.

"Congratulations," Narukami said simply, munching on the last half of his seventh onigiri. Summoning a Persona requires a lot of energy, but… Weren't they slacking off for several days now?

The tray is  _freaking_  empty. And the one who made them haven't had a single bite yet. Care to explain, anyone?

"Narukami Yu…" Hanamura growled, seeing red as he snatched whatever was left in his partner's hand. He sunk his teeth at a bite-shaped groove and savored the tuna, wasabi, and Tabasco covered with delicate sushi rice, finished with a crisp strip of nori. Simple enough yet he knew that one wrong move, and it'll all be messed up. Well, he made the base a tad thicker. He ought to take note of that the next time.

This left the fearless leader's mouth agape, his flush almost unnoticed as he excused himself to take a leak at a toilet nearby.

"Onii-chan?"

 _"Worth it,"_ Hanamura thought as he took the last bite, his thumb gliding at the bandages wrapped against his other fingers, never noticing what he did to make his self-proclaimed partner run. However, realization can hit one's jaw. Hard.

"Aibou?"

* * *

…or maybe not, seeing how Hanamura can be so dense when it comes to his own misgivings and the like. People don't usually notice their mistakes unless you point it out to them or rub it in as harsh as you can. Of course, no one's to blame. We're just dependent little fellows that require a constant stream of nutrients, sunlight, and affection.

What was that all that crap I started writing in the author's notes? *yawn* I must be falling asleep while wide awake, if that would make any sense at all.

Oh, I've got a little something running on my mind for a while now. Recalling Scent 1, Narukami mentioned his senpai whom he confessed to a year ago (so basically, that's his freshman year) and never named him nor described him. So it boils down to this: Should I make him a Commu (Social Link)? I'm thinking of replacing Hisano with Narukami's senpai for he fits the tab of being the dais of the Death Arcana (pertains to major changes/life-changing decisions/starting anew). I'm planning to include him in the Investigation Team as well since I'm not so keen on adding Marie and Adachi as Social Links yet. Long story short, he will undergo the usual shit of being kidnapped, denying his Shadow, accepting his other self and BOOM, you have your own pair of glasses and you can legitimately shout 'Persona!'

I haven't played the Golden version yet; despite that, I might include the third-tier Personas, bike system, winter trip and the band concert (the team) at Junes' parking lot in this piece.

To be or not to be? PM me or something. Your response may or may not influence me. Convince me or otherwise.

Argh. Too much ranting. I'll stop. Stay tuned.

Bug me if anything happens.  
MY_TheWeaver

Sakuraba Ryuichiro, having a Bavarian crème-filled doughnut, a cup of coffee, five shots of brandy and his last stick of black Marls – at one o'clock in the morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Channel update! Tch. How careless of me.


	3. Scent 3 - Be Careful With The Steam..!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things are looking up for the Fool, but the Magician's feats are frying his nerves. Add the fact that they are visiting the dungeon that is rather bizarre and that spiky-haired man appearing on the TV last night, the Fool is certainly bound to be in a phase. But... He might be able to know better that Zero will always be closer to One - right? YoYuYo, Male Cast x Yu, shounen-ai. Maybe some yaoi later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright. Read on. XD *smokes*

Would You Love Me?

Yo. I'm back after Kami-sama knows when. How's everyone doing? Ugh. My life sucks big time right now: university admissions (the class proper is great, but the queuing thing is, ugh, downright annoying), part-time work, online gaming, my application as a tutor, laundry… Hopefully I could get this chapter done in five hours tops since I'm on the roll.

Well, so much for discussing things out. It's the sauna chapter, so here's another serving. I just dunno how it will come out though; I'm writing this from scratch the moment I'm done with this chapter's author's pre-rant.

DISCLAIMER

Not mine. Don't sue me. I'm poor. And I don't own the drink brand Tentacle Grape too.

* * *

**Scent 3 – Be Careful With The Steam..!**

_**Fashion Police (Channel 18)** _

Mou. Golden Week's boring. I really should get out of the house. But… The fact that it's cloudy today doesn't mean that the temperature isn't going down anytime soon. Jun-niichan emailed me earlier that he will be hanging out with Kai-san in Okina and asked me if we could go window shopping or something.

Well, it seems to me that they wanted to have a critic on what looks good and what does not. Typical. Kai-san is a little on the nerdy side, while nii-chan is a bit of the athletic type. I'm smelling some inside job here. Perhaps someone's going to be a lab rat again. I hope this goes well. Nii-chan's so paying for my macchiato – and those shades that I've been hawking at Croco Fur for some time now. Not letting my lazy bones drag me to lounge longer, I quickly dressed and headed to Okina.

This train ride is boring too. I really don't mind the stares and double takes that I'm receiving; I'm used to it by now. It became much more manageable after my short-lived affair with Yu. Come to think of it, I wonder how he's doing now?

_Pi pi pi pi pi ~_

Oh, another mail. It's Jun-niichan. Well, I'm near the station now, so what is it?

_I think we saw Ichijo-san and his nasal-strip friend hanging out here. Currently spying on them now._

Not the type to mince words, that brother of mine. Okay, calm down. It's not nice for me to jump and squeal – not in a public place like this. Ai, you just stay put!

_Ring ~_

Oh, It's Yu. Speaking of the devil…

I quickly answered, sliding down the sleek screen of my phone. I can't  _not_  answer his call after three rings. Force of habit, I guess.

"Yes Yu?"

"Something good happened?"

I choked at the frivolous assumption. Since when did he become a mind reader?

"And here you go jinxing my excellent fortune today," I retorted, mock-irritated. What made him call all of a sudden anyway?

"Well, I'm  _so_  sorry," he jibed playfully, not feeling sorry  _at all_. Maybe it's his usual Narukami quirk. After being with him for some time, who wouldn't pick on his antics? If only he were a little more straight…

Let's get down to business. "Hm? Sounds like you're in a bathroom or something? I could recognize that tinny echo anywhere," I started, putting a finger on my lips. Bathrooms and white lies; I've been there, done that. Nice way to evade things when they're calling you in the worst possible scenarios. Someone's in a rut, I can sense. I decided to keep up by being playful anyway. Yu's a great pastime, if you catch my drift.

"Are you calling me while you're taking a leak?"

"Exactly." And the sound of a zipper being pulled up didn't help at all.

I fought the urge to flush. Oh, how fitting. He  _flushed_ the freaking urinal. "Oh, spare me the details about  _that_. By the way, what made you call in such a boring day?" Squeaks from a faucet being turned on soon pricked my ears a bit.

"I'm having, uhm, some issues."

Oh. If he's ringing me, then it's something he can't talk about openly. Way to go, Yu. Maybe it's your excellent fortune today too. If you're lucky, nii-chan might offer you some advice too. That is if you agree on that. Well, anyway…

"Care to fill me in? I'm not a mind reader like you are."

He fumbled with his phone, causing a light rustling of fabric as he might've rested his mobile between his ear and shoulder. "I'm nothing of that sort. That aside, it's… complicated."

This is getting nowhere. "Try me."

"It's Hanamura."

Oh. That's complicated then. You're attached to the hip every single time I see you getting out of class 2-2. The Prince of Junes stood out for a while, but now he seems a little ordinary to me.

"What about him then?" I prodded, recalling how nii-chan was fidgeting when he came out to me. Even if it shocked me, I can't help but find it cute. My brother who was getting glomped by quite a number of girls when visited him at school turned out to be playing in a different team. I even had a tiny crush on his object of affection before – but that's just me. Haha.

He cleared his throat. "You see, he's been like… acting like he's, well, you know…"

I tried my luck. "Like he's your boyfriend?"

"Yeah… That."

Don't tell me you're blushing. I can feel the heat of your face from here. Judging by what I've heard from a few weeks back, I could say that you two are pretty close, but then I might be off base. Perhaps it's just him having a city boy as a friend with a lot of things in common.

"Hm. Maybe he's just glad to have someone who bears the same weight as him. You could take it that way."

"Is that so? You know, that might be it. Maybe I'm just overseeing things. He's being quite a handful lately, if you know what I mean. I don't know how to keep my cool for longer if it stays this way."

"Then just bear it, I guess? Who knows? One day you might find out that your fears are unfounded." I seriously doubt it though. Even if Hanamura-san is a doofus, a tad clumsy on the side, and with no lingering qualities that I can recall, he fancies girls and ended up getting dumped thrice. After that, I haven't heard of it. Well, after Saki-senpai said hello to the other side, he toned down considerably.

He sighed. "That's not helping one bit. And you're saying it like Kuma…" he pointed out, his voice muffled by his guilty habit. Gummy bears. I swear I could laugh anytime now. Kuma? Gummy bears? So I sounded like a talking jelly confection?

Then I heard the source of his worries, screaming about evil partners with bottomless stomachs, payback, and Nanako-chan.

"Sorry Ebi, I'll talk to you some other time."

And off the phone he went. The hell? Calling me 'shrimp' after comparing me to a bear? He's  _so_  going to get hurt some time.

_The train is now approaching Okina Station. Please look after your belongings and…_

Oh, that could wait. I still have a club president to stalk. Good luck then, Yu.

* * *

_**Babe, You're Gonna Pimp My Ride! (Channel 4)** _

Tch. How annoying. Talk about tending the shop when I have absolutely no idea how to pull it all together. And it was for the whole Golden Week. Got no choice. I can't say no to my old woman. After all, there's nothing better to do. At least she bribed me with Topsicles. Besides, the biker gangs disbanded. Good riddance. Sayonara to noise and say hello to peaceful nights.

However, that does not remedy this 'doki-doki' feeling that I got from my conversation with that boy? Hell be damned, but to wait for me tomorrow after school? You've got to be shitting me! Tatsumi Kanji is not the type to get flustered easily. Or so I thought. Damn, what should I wear? Er, scratch that. I'd be wearing my uniform by that time. Fuck? Should I skip class instead? Oh, right. He said he'd be  _waiting_  for _me_  AFTER school. Wait, he didn't ask me for a date! He just wanted to talk. And he said he is interested in me.  _Interested_. Hey, I'm new to this so I'm not really quite sure what to do.

And what are those bastards doing, hiding their sorry asses behind that mailbox near my home? Scumbags. Sticking out like a sore thumb.

"What the hell are you pricks looking at?" I bellowed, mentally cringing at my tone of voice. Damn. Not  _smooth_. I seriously need to watch my language when that boy is around. Tch. Who am I fooling?

"Split!"

Oh, that pretty boy. How stupid was it to slam at the wall when he's the one who commanded everyone to run for their lives? Fuck. When did they start hanging out there? They might've… They might've…

Gragh! They'll see the gates of Naraku the next time they try to sneak on me like that! I don't care if they're senpai or not!

…senpai? That guy with the bowl cut? Isn't he the one who picked up Usagi-kun the other day? And  _he_  eavesdropped on our conversation?!

Hn. He's getting what he asked for tomorrow. Should I slam a Yasogami desk at his handsome face the next time? That's bound to spell a lot of hurt.

Ugh. Bad train of thought. I just called Phones a pretty boy and that other senpai 'handsome'. I'm so screwed. Maa. I should quit thinking too much. My brain hurts more than it's supposed to be. It's high time that I go home and Tori-kun is yet to be finished.

As soon as I enter the shop, my old lady looked up and smiled the way she always does.

"Okaerinasai, Kanji. I've just got a box of Topsicles delivered."

* * *

In the end, I wasn't able to have a wink of sleep last night. No, this isn't about Tori-kun. That Shirogane boy just got glued to my brain. He still is, actually. Those scoundrels… Adding insult to injury… Tch. They'll have a piece of my mind soon. For now, it's go time. Checking myself at the Practice Building's first floor bathroom, I gave my reflection one more glance before I shuffled (Hell, did I do that?) along my merry way towards the gates.

Kami-sama be damned, but that kid is not as punctual as I expected. Maybe I'm just eager. Damn, I'm glad I've gelled my hair earlier. It took some of my sweet time; I didn't have to look that keen on hanging out with him by standing there for more than ten minutes. No, make it fifteen. And with those eyes piercing me like Neo Featherman laser beams. Ugh. I dunno if I will collapse in anticipation. Besides, my radar's blipping at the seven o'clock position. Gragh. Stupid nerves. Why won't you leave me alone for a minute?!

"Did I make you wait?" the boy in blue started, slipping his hands easily into his green plaid pants despite the slight streak of embarrassment. Nice fabric. However, I think it's colorfast; things like that bleed like shit every time I chuck my things in the washing tub and they end up ruining the laundry runoff with spectacular colors. Imagine having your white undies tinged with a little pink. Absolute nightmare. It's traumatic that I don't plan on doing laundry ever again.

Startled with my mind theater, I turned by head some other way, hoping that the kid wouldn't notice how my brain works.

"Ugh, no. I just got here," I lied. Man, that puny boy exudes fraility. I should not let him wait for half an hour. Besides, it's bad for guys to let the ladies wait – including boys screaming uke, in my case.

"What did you want to talk about?"

He appraised me with those sharp eyes and slowly spun towards the downhill path. "Let's take this somewhere private."

Private? Whoa. Did he mean… No. Not possible. A guy,  _interested_  in me  _that way?_  Junes isn't the most  _private_  area to have some small talk. And hey, he doesn't seem to be the one to say things in a roundabout way. Seriously? Where's my hanky? Clammy hands are not the coolest thing a guy like –

"Have you seen anyone suspicious? Oh, let me rephrase that," the kid said in a semi-whisper. "Did anyone –  _anything,_  rouse your attention lately?"

We were treading towards the intersection where we can just trek along the Samegawa floodplain. So it took us around five minutes in silence? Where did the time go?

Saying "You" might be too rude for the scenario, given the fact that we are taking it in a stride. Or rather, he  _is_. Uncomfortable. Guys should be the least of my worries, knowing well that they're easier to handle than, ugh, girls.

"Nothing that I was aware of," I replied solemnly, eyeing the pylons that carry the cables transmitting power in the whole of Inaba. I could hear the train coming from Okina, and it's calming. A little background noise can be deemed as a welcome distraction.

"I see."

Calculating looks reflected on his features as we walked silently towards the Central Shopping District. In short, we are nearing Tatsumi Textiles – my home.

Shirogane nodded. "Tatsumi Kanji."

My Adam's apple bobbed when I gulped dryly. "Yes?"

Phones boy? With a girl? What the hell are they doing behind that phone switchboard thingy? Anger flared inside me.  _They_  were the ones pinging my senses back at school?

"Hey! What d'you think  _you're_  doing?"

I can't seem to understand what they are yapping oh-so-nervously. Then, hell breaks loose when I heard that keyword.

_Weird._

That does it. Care to lick my fists?

So here I am, chasing these idiots practically anywhere their feet may take them. The moment I catch you, you'll spit a tooth or two. That kid just emailed me to talk some other time since something came up – literally, this cat-and-mouse game. Ruining my day much? Just when things are looking up really pretty…

Along the way, two people joined this fray. It's that silver senpai and Amagi-senpai. Great. Just great. I'm doubting myself, and now I'm really doubting that they went to the shop due to plain business matters. I'll save the questions for later. By the way, running a lot is tiring, and that Aiya delivery girl on wheels totally screwed my pace. Ah. Damn it. I'll let you off for now. Tomorrow, you're dead meat.

Sighing, I realized that we ran all across Samegawa and I think they went through that tunnel. Hmph. Cowards.

It's getting late, and despite the fact that I can go out of the house anytime I wanted, leave my old lady alone is certainly not my best intention, so I turned the other way and walked home, noticing that a delivery truck is parked just near Souzai Daigaku. Oh, I wanted to take a break too. Nearing the house, I saw okaa-san talking to some housewife and they were laughing at the other lady's mishap on ironing clothes. I'm not starting a lecture on do's and don'ts when pressing those damned articles, so I just nodded to my mother and went inside.

* * *

Damn, how boring. Nothing good is on. I'm starting to feel sick at hearing the Junes theme every time this anime pauses for a commercial break. "Everyday Young Life Ju-ne-su!" my ass. At least they've noticed that staged CMs are getting old; they now made a more realistic one a quirky girl interviewing ordinary people gracing the shopping mall. Who the hell that guy is, looking a bit off since he seems like skulking over some tough steak at the Food Court? Well, that's the icing on the cake for him; perhaps he's having a bad day when they shot this. No, scratch that. It's just today. I could see another classmate of mine having a hair disaster just this morning and he totally looked the same as I saw him on TV. Lucky bastard, getting famous all of a sudden… Or maybe not.

…and who the hell rings the doorbell at this fucking hour. Gragh. I'll answer it and I'll be going out for a walk.

"The hell ya want?" I started. He's holding a box of what I think was high-grade yarn. Nice. The old lady dotes on me a lot. The man shuffled a bit to get the receipt and I got the package then stashed it just inside the door. I was about to sign the delivery slip until…

…everything went black.

I just recalled what that boy messaged me after my chasing spree before my consciousness totally left me.

_Be careful._

* * *

_**A Man's Worth (Channel 0)** _

"Everyday Young Life Ju-ne-su!" my cousin sang along with the TV commercial, waving her hand along with the beat. Nanako sure is lively tonight. Ah, that reminds me, I still have to do paper cranes later. I wonder who'll be receiving them? I hope that the patient will be as perky as she is when he or she gets discharged from the Inaba Municipal Hospital.

A flash of spiky black hair on screen caught my attention, giving me the feeling like I've been punched in the gut.

"Onii-chan? You don't look good," Nanako mumbled, staring at me with concern. Nah. Perhaps that was just my imagination. That's totally impossible. "Is everything alright?"

Hating to worry my little sister, I shook my head to compose myself and flashed a grin. If only changing moods was as easy as changing Personas… Maybe I'll sort of talk to Margaret-san after school tomorrow before picking up my pre-ordered book. Better safe than dead in the TV so checking my Social Links and asking for possible Fusion ideas might be helpful. Tch. Even my mind is scattered when I think I saw  _him_.

"Onii-chan's alright. I'm just a little tired," I opted to answer, making my alibi a little feasible. The rain hasn't been letting out, and the run that we had a few days ago still made me sore. I finished my dinner and set my used chopsticks on the empty oden bowl.

Nanako stood and touched my forehead. How soothing. "You don't have a fever, but it may become a cold if you leave it be. You can go to bed early. I'll take care of the trash," she said in a motherly way. Dojima-san surely raises her well, but then that matured aura she's giving off doesn't suit her a lot. I'd prefer a smiling and singing Nanako any other day.

Come to think of it, since it's raining, I might as well take a nap and have my phone alert me before twelve. Who knows what might appear on Mayonaka TV. I'll do the cranes later, if I still had the energy to do so.

Damn.

* * *

"Did you want a copy?" I joked, despite the heavy revelation that the tube brought in tonight. Tatsumi Kanji is officially  _inside_  the Mayonaka TV. Yay.

I could totally see Hanamura flushing and spluttering words any minute now. How right I was. A few seconds later, my eardrums got attacked with a mumbo-jumbo of words along the lines of stupid partner (he overemphasized it, much to my amusement), buffed girly men, loincloths and scary yaoi fangirls.

"Calm down."

"Alright, alright! But seriously, man? How come it just happened when we lost track of him? What a sudden change of heart, or change of preference, that Tatsumi," Hanamura said, incredulous in the highest levels.

I deadpanned. "Correction, he was the one who let us go. And for clarity's sake, it's his Shadow."

"…oh, right," he processed, clucking his tongue in thinking, then dropping the whole thing entirely. "Should we head over to the TV after school tomorrow?"

Nodding, I answered him, worry seeping into my voice. "Definitely. He may be all brawn, but the Shadows are a different story. I just had my Persona deck updated so we're good to go as soon as the bell rings."

"Yosh. I'd inform Satonaka and Amagi about it," he stated in confidence, hero instincts washing over him. "But aibou, I think you should have an early night," he said with worry. Damn. I hate it when people worry about me. Not with my personal issues about the guy on the other end. "You sounded a little off. Something happened, Narukami?"

"No. I'm just tired," I shook off, trying to evade the discussion.

Apparently, he's not like Nanako.

"If… Nah. Just tell me about it when you feel like it. I'm all ears."

How can we have a chat about it when my obvious problem is you?

"Thanks. If it gets too hard to handle, we'll have it over sake and croquettes." I hope it won't even come to that. I remember the day I got violently dumped to the deepest bowels of the earth and my other senpai egged me to drink up and bawl my heart out. It felt good after, but I don't know how Hanamura will take it.

Hanamura laughed evilly. "You're such the demon, are you? We're underage, but I won't back down on a sake night if you insist."

I smiled weakly. "I'll keep that in mind."

Hanamura sighed and spoke jovially. "Maa, now you sleep tight. We wouldn't want the leader to be sluggish when we raid the TV tomorrow, would we?"

"Fine," I rolled my eyes. "Stop being too motherly. I think I troubled Nanako too. That's more than enough worrying from both of you."

"Hmph, make Nanako-chan sad and I'll sic Jiraiya on you," he threatened without much venom. He then laughed and bid me goodnight the second time.

"That's twice now, you know."

"Oh, I'll say that over and over until you snore."

"…then I won't be having my beauty sleep when you do."

And that was a helpful diversion. Seriously, I don't know what took over me, being comfortable with a guy that I am having, ugh, attraction problems with.

"Beauty sleep? Haha! As if you needed that. You're just beautiful to make Ebihara swoon," he pointed out like it was an ordinary thing, voice still shaking in fits of laughter. Haha. Very funny.

Did he just say that I'm beautiful?

"Ugh, that went out wrong. Hahaha!"

* * *

Somehow, I felt refreshed even if I had just three hours of sleep. Stupid Hanamura leading the conversation all night. Manga, anime, video games, food, booze, bikes… Good thing he didn't mention girls. Maybe he's still not over Konishi-senpai. Good move. Coming out on Hanamura over the phone isn't pretty. Our newly-found friendship will be ruined in a million pieces if that happened.

Just like with Haru-senpai.

"Oh, crap, aibou," Hanamura grimaced, walking beside me as we traversed the shopping district. "Why do we have to do this? Finding some sort of 'scent' that was Tatsumi's? Where could we locate anything like that? Asking Tatsumi's mother for some used socks isn't really, well, the best option."

I glanced at him for a second and shifted my gaze at the door of Tatsumi Textiles. "Kuma said that it needed to be close to his personality, if we put it in 'human' terms. Kuma's, well, Kuma. I can't really understand bear talk very well."

"Hn. I hear ya, aibou," Hanamura muttered with a sigh, sliding his hands inside his pockets. "Eh? That kid. He's standing outside Tatsumi's place."

I shrugged and proceeded to the Tatsumi residence, observing the boy holding tight on something. Aiming to open the door to the shop to ask for Tatsumi's place, the boy spoke.

"You go to Yasogami too, right? Do you happen to know the nice guy living here?"

Progress. I could practically smell it in the air.

Argh. Too much Kuma reference.

"Yes. Did you want to talk to him?" I queried, trying to squeeze out as much information as we can. We're not gathering any useful information for two hours now.

The kid made an affirmative gesture. "Uh-huh. I'm thinking of giving him my thanks, then maybe we could eat out at Aiya as a treat."

What? A little boy doting on a riot like Tatsumi? Even calling him a nice guy? The world is turning inside out.

"Huh? What did the guy do?" Hanamura thought aloud, earning a grin from the boy as he held out a pink bunny plushie.

"He made me this! I lost my friend's phone strap when we were playing at school," the kid wandered in reminiscence. "She was mad at me and I thought I should replace it. I was out of money that time too, and when he found me sulking at the riverbed, he yelled at me and told me to 'man up' and bear responsibility. Then," he paused, swinging the pink bunny with glee. "He told me that he will make two straps; one for me and one as the replacement for the one that got missing. It's not the same, but she liked it! Now, I'm letting him borrow it so he could make another one for okaa-san! Plus, I'm saving my lunch money so we could buy yarn, spend time together, and pig out on beef bowls."

Sounds like idol worship to me. Or like a shotacon manga. I really wish it were the former.

I patted the kid's head and smiled at him. Hanamura crossed his arms over his chest and smirked.

"That's nice of you. We'll tell him that when we see him. He's not home now."

The boy's face fell. "Oh, what a bummer. Here I was waiting for him to just appear here since I dunno his number… If I just asked Kanji-kun out, then…"

Shotacon plot, alright. I get it, I get it.

"Hey, mind if I borrow Usagi-kun? We'll take it to Tatsumi when we meet him today," I lied, for we won't know when we'll get in touch with him since Mayonaka TV is a gruesome place and it will take time to find him. Sorry, kid. But I promise we'll definitely save him for you.

He looked skeptical for a moment but then conceded with a small smile. "Sure! Just tell him I'll be hanging out by the gazebo at Samegawa every afternoon so he would find me there. I'm counting on ya!" With that, he ran off to Aiya, mumbling about reservations, plush toys, and bleaching his hair once he grew up.

"Weird kid, totally over that guy. Sounds like a crush to me," Hanamura said airily, scratching his head in post-confusion. "But you handled that pretty well. No wonder Nanako-chan is all smitten on you. Pretty good with kids, ne aibou?" He playfully punched my arm, almost causing me to drop the plushie the boy lent me earlier.

"I do try, Hanamura."

"Maa, I can't imagine Nanako-chan being all googly-eyed on you. That's creepy."

Raising an eyebrow, I faced Hanamura with a hybrid of a pout and a scowl. "Whoever gave you that retarded idea?"

"Oh man, you're too cute," he laughed off, setting his chunky, shocking orange and red headphones over his ears and winked.

"I'll email Amagi and Satonaka to head out and crash Junes. Time's running out and we wouldn't want Tatsumi hanging over some antenna or telephone pole soon," he continued, concern evident in his tone despite its playful note.

"Yeah, we should be going now," I replied, my mind still swimming in the sea of awkwardness my brain was submerged in.

First, I was beautiful. Now, I'm cute?  _Too cute?_

The fuck, Hanamura. Stop teasing or I might step on a landmine sooner or later.

Wait… So kids are okay, but adolescents are creepy when it comes to  _that_  kind of relationship?

* * *

_***This program is rated R and contains scenes not suitable for children. To watch it, turn off the Parental Control of your TV. Please consult your user's manual for details.* (Channel 1)** _

Gragh! What's the use of Kuma's glasses if it's all foggy with them on? Scratch that. It's  _fucking_  steam and we're in a  _fucking_ bath house. And an all-male one at worst. We weren't here to peep on lady mounds or soft, velvet-smooth legs. We're in a race between boy love and masculinity, and some Shadow-bashing on the side.

"Geez, I want a ramune…" Satonaka hissed, her tone reeking with disgust. "It's so hot here that my sweater will become my second skin any minute."

Kuma growled and tried his hardest to fluff up his matted fur. "Sensei… I think I'm going to faint in this heat…"

"Chie, I have spare change," Amagi said, checking her coin purse while standing in front of a drink vending machine. Hell, even the scenario is realistic. What public bath wouldn't be complete with an automated ramune store?

"Wait, that might be poisonous," Narukami warned, approaching the girl in the process. Nice save, partner.

"Izanagi!"

…until he smashed the glass display and let the poor thing spill its guts out.

"It's good," he concluded, downing one bottle in ten seconds. He was rather confident, holding that pukingly purple bottle. It said 'Tentacle Grape'. Fuck. I'm running weird ideas in my brain now involving Narukami, freaking aliens with squirming appendages, and me entering as the hero, saving him from utter, and obviously painful oblivion.

Tch. Perhaps I'm soaking in the atmosphere too much. That was so gay, I'm seeing rainbows. I shuddered at the thought, helping myself with a lemon-flavored soda. Oh, that tastes like the one in Junes.

After relaxing a bit, Kuma's ears fluttered and he stuck his nose up. "Sensei! I'm picking up Kanji!"

Just when I thought that we could rest a little more. I could only offer so much rounds of Dia. Amagi's our firepower (sorry for the pun), but her healing skill Media, though powerful, it seems overrated for now, not to mention it wears her out quickly, so Narukami appointed me to heal everyone when the need arises. Oh joy.

* * *

"Ne, Hanamura," he whispered, dangerously close to my ear that I could feel the heat and catch a whiff of his grape-tinged breath. Talk about creepy despite how good that felt as of the moment. "How about we ditch and leave those two girls and Kuma in charge?" he continued, noticeably alarmed. I mean, who won't be? All those hints and what Tatsumi's Shadow was blabbing about were breaking every single law in the guy code. Oh crap, I almost broke one just thinking what I thought I thought a while ago.

I turned sharply, my nose almost brushing against Narukami. Why are we so close, when there's more than enough room for us in front of this damn door? Nah, he might've been uncomfortable as I am feeling now since we entered Tatsumi's Mayonaka TV mindscape.

"Sounds like a plan," I said breathily, a little curious why I think I saw Narukami's skin crawl as he shuddered and nodded repeatedly.

"Yay! I could be alone with Yuki-chan and Chie-chan! We'll score with some hot stud!" Kuma cried, running around in glee. Tch. Eavesdropping at the Partner's Conversation Galore isn't healthy. Now, we're sitting ducks for the girls' rage. Oh dear.

"Oh, leaving us here, eh?" Satonaka eyed us, smiling sweetly along with Amagi. She then crushed a small crystal marble in rage, much to our dismay.

Oh shit. That's our last Goho-M! We only held on one every time we visit a dungeon for training. Tch. I wished Narukami let me hold it earlier. Okay, the plan is officially botched.

"Huwaaa! That spoiled my hunt to score with them!" Kuma grimaced, frowning deeply, his ears flopping low. Tch. As if those two will let you 'score'.

Amagi seconded her Prince's query. "Ara? Not manly enough?" Such words, Amagi. I'm positive I'm going to cry. In disbelief or due to my shattered ego, I don't really know. Besides, the day she dumped me and never recalling that she tossed me aside is still a nightmare to me.

Narukami is flustered. Tch. I had a feeling that it will be a bad idea that I had him up all night. The last thing we wanted is a sick leader. Hm. I'll make up for that once we rescue.

"Let's finish this then. Tatsumi's waiting," he said, his tone even and determined. I could swear there was a hint of hesitation in there though. That's what you get when you hang out with Narukami most of the time.

* * *

"Eek! What's this?" Amagi screamed, slipping and sliding in what seemed to be slime. Satonaka was never better.

"Gross! It's sticky and slippery at the same time!" The girl in green pulled out a disgruntled look, trying to help herself up but to no avail. Figures.

That thing is certainly not for children. Tch. I could recognize that sweet vanilla ice cream scent anytime. Intrigued by partner's turmoil, I took a two-second look at him. Narukami's face was almost red. He glanced at me and looked the other way, focusing on bashing those annoying 'girly' Shadows to Naraku. If it was a better time, I could've laughed my ass off. Our gray matters think alike in some parts, I guess. We're both city boys. No other explanation required. Go figure it out yourself.

"Sensei! Watch out! You can't use Agi on him! I mean her! Oh, I don't know what I mean!" Kuma instructed, hiding behind a wall divider. Thanks Kuma. That's awfully obvious when Amagi's conflagaration fizzled, but it sure does help if you sense their probable attacks even if they're a little too vague.

My mind was still reeling at Shadow Tatsumi's statement that we could make really good boyfriends. The hell? Thinking about it just made me gag. I looove them boobies, or so Ichijo had said before.

Well, it could be the loneliness. I might understand that. It wasn't my fault that I was born in the city. With all those gossips around me and thus having a few 'friends' during the first few weeks of my stay here in Inaba, I think I could relate. Damn, I thought I could be like a lone wolf as I projected myself to be, it just didn't work, much to my disappointment. After I accepted myself, things looked up a little better. What more if I were a school riot? Everyone would just look down on me. I learned somehow from our run at the shopping district earlier that this Tatsumi guy isn't bad as he seemed to be. That kid could vouch to that.

Man, I swear Narukami's words are leaching into my vocabulary.

"Hnn..!"

Crap. Aibou, that's not very… appropriate? Tch. He's been  _groped_  in the ass by that bastard. For crying out loud, no one lays a hand on the leader and gets away with it.

"Fuck you, asshole!" I cried, sending wave after wave of Garu spells, not minding how it left my head as light as a feather. The Shadow crumbled into pieces, and the two girls miraculously got up and joined in the action, hoping to restrain that other bulky Shadow behind me. However, they just gave me weird looks.

"Watch out Yosuke!" Kuma bellowed from behind. What's with all the panic? Even Narukami had this death glare as he ran towards me.

Eh? Someone -  _something_  just pinched my bum and I was hoisted up in the air, and somehow, that other fucking Shadow did languid movements that made me squirm. Kami-sama, can I die in embarrassment for a second?

Shadow Tatsumi giggled and caressed the blooms that adorned his Full Throttle costume before blowing a kiss towards me. Tch. He sort of reminds me of Paine from Final Fantasy X-2. I swear Narukami would drool when he sees her. Perhaps I'll let him see my room sometime and play video games to no end?

"My, my. What a nice catch! Will I be yours?" Shadow Tatsumi chided is his horribly dissonant voice.

Satonaka tried hitting the damn thing with a round of Bufu but to no avail. Crap. Amagi took note of that and offered a graceful round of Agi. Tch. Nimble bastard, evading that explosion in a heartbeat.

And this thing did it again. Shoot. I wouldn't admit that  _that_  felt good for a while. But now, he's grasping me tighter, aiming to kill me in asphyxiation. I think I'm going to faint. Man, you girls should take it easy. Shrieking like that bursts my eardrums like no tomorrow.

"Sensei! Yosuke's in danger!"

"You wouldn't dare," I heard Narukami say through gritted teeth. "Izanagi!"

A tingling sensation ran through my skin. Tch. I almost forgot that Jiraiya is sensitive to electricity. That makes me susceptible too… However, this felt unusually gentle, like a mild buzzing of otou-san's electric shaver. Did our Personas have the concept of friendly fire? Maybe I'll ask my other self about it.

My vision's slightly blurry. Not good. Stay calm. Trust Amagi, Satonaka, Kuma and Narukami.

For the final time, I mustered my strength to call on the other 'me'. The Magician card materialized before my eyes and seeing that I couldn't free my arms to complete the summoning, I resorted to smashing the shining thing with a pathetic headbutt.

"Jiraiya."

The ninja frog didn't even try to pry me away from the Shadow. He just floated there, waiting for orders.

Brushing my psyche for that much needed invocation, I found what I was looking for pretty easily. I'm the Magician, so that should not be a big deal.

"Garula."

Jiraiya canted his head as if asking me if that's the thing that I really want. Of course, that was the best that I can think of.

_"If you're sure then."_

Oh. So we have a mind link. Just great.

Sharp winds howled and the electrified Shadow restraining him to death eroded as if being zeroed-in by a sandblaster. Soon, all that I can hear was crumbling and then I was falling.

_"Let them take care of the rest."_

"Hanamura!"

Ne, aibou. I'll just snooze for a bit. This calming wave. Hmm. Amagi's recovery spells are nice, I mean, duh. But this one felt  _really_  nice. A lullaby? A fairy tale before you trek into your dreamscape? I can list a few more ideas.

Unfortunately, sleep is calling me. Wake me up when it's over.

* * *

_**Of Lovable Idiots & Nice Jerks (Channel 0)** _

"Hanamura! Oi, pull yourself together!" I screamed, shaking this idiot's form a little harshly. Tch. His pulse is slowing down real fast and this isn't exactly pretty. He wouldn't end up hanging over the cellphone signal tower at Junes' rooftop, would he? I, for one, don't like that idea a single bit.

Shit. This is nerve-wrecking; I didn't even have any idea that this will occur in the first place. Fuck. What did just make him so angry that he juggled that other Shadow in the air before it was ground into coarse powder?

Fuck. Fuck.  _Fuck._  Less mulling over who urged who and more thinking on how to keep Hanamura's heart from screeching to a halt. He feels heavy as he seemed to be, but he's so damn cold that I'm getting nervous. Good thing that the only thing standing is Tatsumi's Shadow self.

"Chie-chan, Yuki-chan, I smell that he's strong against Zio and physical attacks. That's all I know. Keep him away from Sensei and Yosuke!"

"Nice to know," Satonaka growled, grinning in bloodlust, cracking her knuckles as she tapped the tip of her greaves and sent a roundhouse kick at the glowing Chariot card.

"This is for hurting a friend. Avenge him, Tomoe!"

The Shadow clucked his tongue disapprovingly. "That's not really nice, you know. That's why I HATE girls. I was just doing that silver boyfriend of mine a favor," he said caustically, akin to a stuck-up girl who was being accused of something unthinkable.

Amagi took a quick glance at me, her fan ready to smash her Priestess card. "Do you need Konohana Sakuya's healing?" she asked, brows furrowing in concern as she tried to dodge a flying Mars symbol. "Of course you need it, but my hands are a full…" she explained as her Persona shielded her from a spiteful spell that Shadow Tatsumi only casts against girls.

I'm not sure if it's adrenaline or a stroke of genius, but I'm determined to not let the shinigami take him away. Medicines taken orally won't work on an unconscious person.

"Change!"

I'll save you by the power of our bond. The Magician Arcana tickled my mind, understanding too well what I'm trying – no,  _desperately aching_ , to do this dire moment. Shattering the card, I tapped on the power that I was reserving in cases like this.

"Pixie!"

A tiny fairy flew lazily around us, glittering dust trailing in her wake. She watched me in amusement as she processed what I needed her to accomplish.

_"So this idiot requires my assistance? It shall be granted. Teehee~!"_

"Dia! On the double!"

She went on her task, sprinkling pixie dust all over Hanamura, casting round after round of healing that I actually lost count after the tenth. Kami-sama, I'm keen on solving this case, but please don't take away my comrades.

_"All done. It's up to him to recuperate. Jiraiya said hi too, stated that his Other will be back on his feet after he freshens up, and thanked you for taking care of him even though you knew that 'he' could be really quite a handful with that wild whims of 'his'. For now, tata~!"_

Personas could talk amongst themselves? Hm… Anyway, Hanamura is regaining his color now, waming up slowly, and his breathing evened out. Tch. I thought he was a goner.

Pixie raised an eyebrow in a blue light display and returned to being a card before settling snugly in my mind's Persona deck. I was about to take Hanamura to the divider where Kuma surveys the battlefield when an crackling lightning discharge blew up the two girls off their feet. Fuck. I totally forgot that they are still in the midst of handling Tatsumi's troublesome Shadow. What a mess.

"Sensei! I smell he's charging up something that is no good!"

Thank you Captain Obvious. That does not remedy the fact that we will be fried to death in one hit once that lightning ball hits the ground. I appreciate the effort though. Shit. Izanagi is resistant to Zio, but what about the girls? And Kuma? And bloody-fucking Hanamura too?

Tatsumi-kage giggled and sighed, lust dripping from his very core. "I've had so much fun – despite those two  _bitches_  that made the whole getting-to-know-you session tasting bitter to my palate. However, some good things never last, huh?" The Shadow gazed innocently (or he tried so much to) at me and the heavy lump of a music-loving idiot that now sits on my arms.

"I just wanted someone to notice me; acknowledge me; the hell – even love me, if I'm not asking for too much… Fucking ingrates. Hn, that's just wishful thinking, ne?" he spoke solemnly, appearing a little sad, the flowers enhancing the dramatic effect. The lightning ball is imploding slowly. Shit. Doomsday. What the fuck-

"The fuck are you saying?!" a gruff shout tore through my auditory faculty and I caught the original Tatsumi running in a blur towards his Shadow self. "Shut the fuck up, you scumbag!"

Ouch, that would hurt. I don't plan on messing up with Tatsumi in the future. Getting clocked over screams a whole universe of pain. The hell, his Shadow's garb just evaporated and he returned to his almost naked, loincloth-flaunting self.  _In just ONE blow._

"Stop that. That's disgraceful, you know. If you wanted someone t'love you badly, man up," Tatsumi growled, staring straight to his Shadow's hurtful eyes. "I'm you, the one that I was trying very hard to kill deep inside me. I don't give a flying fuck about gender, as long as he or she treats me like a normal person. Besides, your sentiments are mine as well."

He cracked his fists and jabbed at his Shadow's jaw, the golden-orbed one flinching at the pain – that didn't even come his way.

"Hn. Let's work it out together, na? Don't you go hurting the senpai again and doing those girly antics of yours anytime now. You'll be very sorry that you did," he said with indifference, though a little relief wormed its way through his threat.

The Shadow blushed in recognition of his acceptance.

"Anou… Kanji… I think I love you." Tatsumi-kage muttered like a boy with a crush and sported a lopsided grin before fading into streams of light as a  _huge_  mechanical construct with a golden lightning-shaped dual-bladed lance and Halloween skeleton markings materialized out of thin air.

"The hell is this…?" Tatsumi questioned, confused at what transpired after he accepted himself, the huge being fading gradually as the Emperor card twirled slowly before him.

"Your Persona," I answered, making him nod in realization. "He looks very manly to me."

"Senpai… Ugh, thanks?" he stated, scratching his head and looking at the aftermath of what his denial earlier whipped up. The two girls were getting up, both seemingly queasy but looked okay nonetheless.

"Ara? What happened? Is it over?" Amagi jumped, recognizing that there was no sign of a flirty Shadow lurking anywhere.

"Kuuuu… Yukiko, you hurting anywhere?" Chie grumbled. As Amagi's Prince, I expected no less. How selfless. Bravo.

"Kanji was  _soooo_ amazing! Will you score with me?" Kuma squealed, running towards the newly-rescued victim. Tch. Way to push the other's panic button in rapid succession. Oh, Hanamura's still unconscious, using my chest as a pillow... Fuck. I swear this is not what it's supposed to look like, Tatsumi. His raised eyebrow raises a lot of things to explain later. Or maybe not, since I think he's out cold when we had that ordeal. I'm so screwed.

"Shut the fuck up you stupid – eh?" the brawler paused, interest glinting in his eyes. "You're cute."

* * *

"I'm good here. I still need to check on that kid. He might be waiting, as you told me at Junes."

I chose not to make any shotacon reference and nodded. "Sure. You owe him one. Without this," I started, handing him the plush pink bunny with a smile. "We wouldn't have saved you."

"I guess so," Tatsumi replied sheepishly, his vision set at the lone person still waiting at the gazebo. "Maa, thanks again, Naru-senpai."

"Will you be okay?" Hanamura asked, sounding tired but alive nonetheless. "It would be a huge issue since you disappeared the other night and then you just go prancing about as if nothing happened."

He just waved it off and proceeded to the waiting boy. "I'll be fine. My reputation precedes me so it won't be that big of a deal. You go and rest, Hana-senpai."

"Don't overdo it. You take a rest for a few days too. Mayonaka TV has its tiring effects especially when you just accepted yourself today," the Magician added before chucking an elbow to my ribs and canting his head towards the way we should be taking to the shopping district.

That's just so Hanamura.

"Ne, aibou. Steak croquette sounds good? I'm starving. Oh, that's minus the sake. Probably next time, na?"

Of course.

* * *

_**0|V|4| <3 (Channel ! #$%^&*)** _

Steaming beef bowls decorated the afternoon air along with idle chat and future plushie projects. The kid chattered excitedly as Tatsumi guffawed at the boy's rather insane ways to pull up a prank.

"Seriously?" the bleached-blonde male smirked. "You stuck gum on his hair?"

"Hmph, he deserved it," the boy said with pride. "That's for calling you girly. Oh how I loved to see him wear a barrette made of ABC gum. He had no idea that you could punch the lights out of him if you wanted to."

Tatsumi shrugged and helped himself with a large mouthful of meat. "That is if I wanted to. Damn brat still hasn't grown any balls yet so it's not really fair to hit him square in the jaw."

"That's the Kanji-kun I know!" the kid squealed, Tatsumi thought he saw hearts in his eyes. He sweatdropped, trying to comprehend what the boy was so giddy about.

"Wait, what's ABC gum?" the brawler asked in confusion. "They sell that at Shiroku?"

"Oh. Nope. It's special."

Interest piqued, Tatsumi prodded on. "How special?"

"Nothing much really," the kid replied, shoving the remaining bits of his nikudon into his mouth like the older male did. "Any gum will do. ABC gum? It's already been chewed. I just found a newly-stuck piece under his chair so I took the liberty to grace him with my wrath."

With that, the Emperor did a spit take, morsels of rice, egg and beef flying in all directions.

"The fuck?"

Talk about gross.

"What do we do with these bowls?" the kid changed the topic in a split-second. What a smooth talker. He would rival Narukami one day.

Tatsumi recovered from his coughing fit and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "Just leave them anywhere. A senpai of mine told me that it'll be picked up no matter what."

An affirmative gesture came from the boy and he frowned slightly. "Okay… Oh, okaa-san will be ballistic if I came home after dark. I should go on ahead."

"You want me to walk you home?"

"Nah, I'm pretty tough, you know," the kid grinned, showing his very short fangs – if you squint. "Anyway, can I have your number?"

Judging that nothing was wrong with it, the Emperor shrugged. "Alright."

A few squiggles of a pen on left arm skin later, the boy jumped in joy.

"Finally! I'll have my first phone later so I could just ask you on a proper date next time! See ya, Kanji-kun!"

And the boy's back retreated as he ran into the horizon, leaving a distraught, speechless Tatsumi Kanji staring into the distance.

"…the fuck?"

* * *

And there you have it.

It was so much fun to write – a pack of cigarettes and a liter of booze surely sounds heavenly after this. This is kinda short to my liking, but I hope deep down that you like it, even if it's just a little.

I'm working on the next Scent so I believe it wouldn't take too long to update this puny fanfic.

By the way, my only OC is coming to town next. Or rather, he arrived, if you squint and try to read back.

Name: Kageyama Haru (The "traumatic" senpai Narukami was talking about in the first chapter), a semi-buffed guy who transfers to Inaba due to the request of his aunt, who is the daughter of Hisano (original Commu of the Death Arcana).

Personality: A little meritocratic (when it comes to grades) but more of an I-don't-really-care type of person. He leans on the athletic scene though, as he will be joining the soccer club when he enters Yasogami (SPOILER!) as a senior student. He cares much about Narukami but seldom voices it, and is quite a chick magnet for reasons uncertain. The sudden change of residence will leave him miffed and sulky for some time, and will be actually relieved that he's meeting Narukami after he suddenly evaporated without telling him for, again, reasons unknown for the meantime.

Arcana: Death

Initial Persona: Enma-o, as he is the deity of death - depicted as a tan-skinned, middle-aged, silver-haired humanoid Persona wearing a tattered, red trench coat, a single-lens scanner over his right eye that constantly shows numbers (akin to DragonBall Z Geiger counters), and holding a slim, white, glowstick-like tonfa with black flames on it.

Max Commu Persona: Amida, who was allegedly a former king who, upon learning from Lokesvararaja, stepped down from his throne and pursued to become a Buddha. His sutra is often invoked near death in hopes for a peaceful afterlife. Also, his statues are often seen with Kannon (Kanzeon) by his right and Jisho by his left (aka the Amida Triad) on altars. As a Persona, he is seen as a red-skinned humanoid persona with a spiky white mop of hair, wearing a longer, black coat which extends to his ankles (and has markings of the one Yu used when he was in his former school as seen in episode 1), sports a gold visor, and holds a shortstaff adorned with a crystalline lotus blossom with his right hand.

Third-Tier Persona: Amida Nyorai, his name after ascending to Buddha status, and is invoked at a memorial service three years after their loved one's death in order to provide a favorable passage wherever the departed soul was within the world of rebirth. Will be shown as Amida but with a flowing coat almost like a graduation outfit and a clear visor showing an endless barrage of mantras and his gentle, golden eyes (because Personas are technically 'tamed' shadows), armed with a grandiose staff with a floating lotus blossom core, and has a yard-long, five-pointed, gold-colored propeller spinning over his head.

Whew. That was a lot to cover. I can't find any other fitting deity, Buddha-tachi, or god that will fit him this way. I was contemplating on using a Reaper, then Charon, but they certainly won't fit the Japanese-inspired Personas the Investigation Team have. Flame me if you find that a little unnerving. Lol. Also, as a teaser, since it has been stated that his Persona has close ties to Kannon (Kanzeon), that would somehow reflect his relationship with Kujikawa.

There. Like him or not, he'll be joining the ranks of your favorite Investigation Team pretty soon.

Review if you'd like. Or perhaps give me a tweet or something. I'll be golden. Oh, it's unbeta'ed, so point out any mistakes or something. I'd appreciate that.

\- Sakuraba Ryuichiro, now almost passing out in sleepiness, and lights his last stick of cigarette while picking on the remains of his omurice and relishing the dregs of his canned pineapple juice. (Hell, no alcohol today?)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yet another channel update.


	4. Scent 4 - Do You Still~

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Death came back, knocking at the hearts door. Once he goes away, he might never return. Will he saved, or sent into the nothingness he never accepted at all? The trials are heavy. Time is running out. The Fool is aghast. Adding Zero to One doesn't change anything - everything stays the same way. After all, Zero is the closest thing to One.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tired! Argh! Cigarettes and chocolates! Fufufufu~ He comes Kageyama Haru!

Would You Love Me?

Yo. How's it going? It's been less than a week and here goes another update. Hooray. I'm trying to quit smoking now to no avail. At least I am cutting down to just five sticks a day. Not much improvement, but still improvement nonetheless. I really don't want to go cold turkey or I'll get midnight sweating and sorts. Epically uncool. Plus, I'm trying to fancy another  _guy_. Yup, that's right, and I need to finish this before I fly and search for those "sparks". Tch. How awfully romantic.

Anyway, to those who commented, gave their kudos, and hit this piece, I'm so happy you give me the needed push to see this through. I can't tell you how much I am thankful.

Anyway, here enters the deviation of the story from the original P4 and P4A plot.

Here we go. *smokes*

* * *

**Scent 4 – Do You Still~**

_**A New Breath of Life (Channel 13)** _

Sunshine's overrated. Moving here is a chore in its own. Man, if I had known… No use hanging around every little thing. Damn, the moving company just called that they changed couriers. It means that my stuff will be delivered late. Hmph. Just when I have most of my things for leisure there… A medicine ball, my trainers, a pair of boxing gloves from that practice PE teacher… Fuck. He even had silver-white hair.  _Silver…_

Okay, stop treading on those  _thoughts_. He went far away. That should be the last thing on my mind. Tch. A clean slate, if you may. I mean, who in their right mind will transfer schools in the middle of their senior year? My grades aren't all A+, but I'm always trying to have them. I'd rather play soccer or box in the ring, or perhaps practice my arnis skills… Kali sticks and tonfa batons kick ass.

"Haru-kun!" my aunt called me. She just went through the door, bringing a box of my clothes. Damn. I told her that I could do it on my own. I'm not a baby anymore.

"Ah, Sanae-san," I acknowledged her, shuffling through other boxes of mundane things. "You shouldn't have bothered."

She beamed. "Well, you just arrived here! I thought I would help you unpack. Besides, I haven't cooked dinner yet…"

"Um, it's fine." I said in a clipped manner. Less talk, less worries. "You could leave that there," I pointed out at the coffee table at the center of my room.

"You sure?" she queried, leaving the light box on the wooden top anyway. "Hm. I'm afraid to kick you out of the house for a while, since I will be dusting off a little. You wouldn't want yourself to sneeze all night."

Ugh. Allergies. Right.

"Any place that you could suggest to kill time?"

She placed a dainty finger on her lips, looking up to the ceiling in thought. "Junes might sound good. That's the closest thing we have to a city establishment. Lots of food, arcade games, karaoke…" then she eyed me and winked mischievously.

"You can even pick on some girls, if you know what I mean."

Rotten luck today, I believe.

"Sounds good," I surrendered, not allowing myself to show a little disdain at the idea. Ugh. More people to prick my ears.

"I knew it! You're like your father back in his youthful days," she exclaimed, squealing like a fangirl and pinching my cheeks until they're numb.

"I got the idea, thank you very much."

She put her hands on her hips and playfully kicked me out. "Now off ya go! And wear something nice. You'll never know. Teehee~"

Did I ever sign up for this?

* * *

Hmm. Not bad. Not bad at all. It was cloudy after some time– overcast even. I nursed a can of TaP soda that I got from the supermarket section. How wonderful, they even have one-hour discount fever when it came to drinks today. Not only that this drink is popular back in the city, it makes me feel a little more at home.

Tch. Home? Yeah right.

Okaa-san plainly wants me to graduate with honors. Otou-san always nagged me to take business administration. Hell, I'm not even  _that_  good with numbers. Go get a calculator or a powerful laptop computer as a son. Nee-chan caught a wind of it and asked me if I was okay with the household scenario. Fuck. Did she think I like it? Well, women are pretty observant. Even if she asked me, she was only fishing for a confirmation.

How can I be okay? Pressuring me do stuff, a certain thing grating into my mind, people looking up at me, all those expectations…

I stopped my mental ranting when a cheery girl with a microphone and a cameraman approached me, her eyes showing a little fear. Man, I'm crushing the poor aluminium can that it might go flat.

A sharp look might just do the trick.

Whoa! It did! That thing never fails. Well, except for someone…

Gragh! Too much thinking rots the brain.

I think I'mma go and order some steak. Medium-rare. I don't want to spend my whole afternoon slicing and chewing like a cow. Tch. Last time I had one, they made it well-done, and it feels like sinking your teeth on a bicycle tire.

…well fuck. History repeats itself, it seems.

* * *

"Kageyama Haru-kun, was it?" Sofue-sensei mumbled, skimming through my school records. "Stellar grades! I hope you would find this transfer as a good learning experience. We usually don't accept transfers this late, but I presume this has some reasons, huh?"

I plainly nodded. "That's right."

"It's not my job to pry as a teacher, so I'll just leave you be. If you have any difficulty about your subjects or problems, I will be glad to hear you out. That's my job as your homeroom adviser, hm?"

"I appreciate that," a said with a small grin.

The warning bell rung, signifying that homeroom will commence soon. "Now, now. Let's go meet your classmates, shall we?"

The whole process was uneventful as we walked out of the faculty room. I got my book bag from my former school. It was some sort of my lucky charm. It still is, actually. Its jingling cat charm soothes me despite my nerves eating the best of me now. However…

"Oi! That was certainly uncalled for, aibou!"

"Haha. That's for stealing the last piece of meat from my beef bowl yesterday. Man, you listen to this?"

"Argh! Risette is the  _bomb_. You're made of stone if you don't like her."

Just as we almost left the first floor, my side vision saw a glimpse of silver, tugging an obnoxiously red and orange headset from some normal-looking guy as they stopped by the shoe lockers.

"Is anything of the matter, Kageyama-kun?"

I shook my head. "Nothing, sensei."

So even Rise-chan's popularity reached here. Well, after all, this is her birthplace. No wonder. She's a national idol after all.

She raised her eyebrow, her blue-painted eyes widening a little in interest. "If you say so."

* * *

A few days passed without anything happening much, save for that boring camp at the mountains. Hmph. At least they placed seniors in a less dirtier area. They knew we need to study for the entrance exams soon. Good thing I brought a few books out of habit.

Now, it's lunch time. That definitely means alone time. The breeze picks up a bit, ruffling my ebony spikes. Good thing I've used that Junes menthol shampoo. That tingly sensation perks me up to the highest level.

…not that I would show how  _much_  I liked it.

Sipping on a TaP soda and munching on some generic sandwich from the school pantry, I rested my back on the wall near the door, eyeing the expanse of the Yasogami grounds. Nothing much to see aside from those cherry trees that had their delicate blooms already shed around early spring. Anyway, my maroon leather gloves will be shipped this or tonight! Lucky me, sensei said it was my gift for keeping up with my training. Tch. Sad, they only have a basketball and a soccer team here. I wouldn't mind the latter, but if it's boxing then…

"Let's go Yukiko!"

SLAM.

Fuck. I'm on the wrong side. The door just made me see stars. Tch. Ready to say some string of expletives later, my eyes were set on the green-clad girl and another red-vested one running towards the open area of the rooftop. Okay..? And they didn't even realize that I will have a latch-shaped bruise on my solar plexus after they just went up and about?

Sighing, I just let it go. No use yapping at oblivious girls. Most likely, they were too used to hanging around like this that they weren't paying attention to who was lounging near that edifice of doom. Fuck! They even left the door ajar! Talk about carelessness.

"Nee, Narukami said he'll be up here with Hanamura."

"Ara? So he made lunch for us again? Narukami-kun is the god of the kitchen. However, I'll never lose to him. That reminds me Chie, have you downloaded the omurice recipe?"

Fuck.

The name that I never dreamed of hearing again.

I want out. No. I badly need to get out of here.

Thanks to my footwork training, I managed to dart out nimbly and speedily sauntered downstairs without difficulty. And who's that Hanamura, anyway?

Just when I thought I would clear the second floor, a quizzical statement rung in my ears. Damn. I must not look back.

 

* * *

 _ **Black and Red** _ _**(Channel 0)** _

"H-haru-senpai?" I whispered to myself.

"Ne, aibou? Got your panties in a twist?"

I was dazed. What is he doing here?

"Shut the fuck up, Hanamura," I glowered, closing my eyes to calm myself. Seriously? He  _was_  surely on the TV a few days ago. I had no idea. What was he doing here in Inaba, much more in this school?

Taken aback by my caustic behavior, Hanamura laughed nervously. "Sorry man, but what's the big deal? He transferred here like a week ago. Haven't you heard? I even scanned his purchases yesterday at Junes."

Oh right. The transfer student. The weird one. The one who gives a death glare to  _almost_ anyone who dared to look. The dark senpai everyone was talking about. The one senpai who caught everyone's gaze despite his aloofness.

"Oi, aibou," Hanamura poked, nudging his elbow on my side. "You're not spacing out on me again, are ya? Aren't you the one who told me that too much thinking rots the brain?"

I sighed and cleared my head. No use hanging on things that are done and over with. "Of course, but try doing the thinking at times. It would help you."

"Hm? Telling me  _mildly_  how idiotic I am?" his feral tone echoed.

"No. It's purely conjecture. Are you?" I retorted, my mischievous grin masking my internal turmoil.

"Damn, aibou. Unlike you, I'm a little sensitive on the side, you know," Hanamura whined, pouting like a kid who just got scolded by his mother.

Chuckling, I brushed the topic off. "Nah, just joking. You're just a lovable idiot." And I didn't know what pushed me to say that.

"Say what?!"

Lunch hour is ticking by. We should head upstairs or else the girls will be ballistic. I don't want to spend a small fortune on treating them to steak soon. Veggies and raw chicken are way cheaper.

Maybe I should let Hanamura make onigiri again?

* * *

"Eh? I thought I slammed on something firm earlier, now that I've thought about it," Satonaka remarked, her mouth busy masticating the sweet and sour chicken fillet I whipped up last night.

Amagi seemed down. "Ne, Chie, you should say sorry. You might have caused injury."

Hanamura eyed the kung fu girl in distress. "Tch. Did you use that Galactic Punt whatever on the door again? Moron King might urge you to cough up if the door has a minute dent on it."

She just shrugged it off. "Eh? For one, he didn't even squeak or something. He should've told me that I hurt him and I'll give him Narukami's special chicken as a peace offering!"

Ugh. You really shouldn't do that.

He always liked it and you'll never have the chance to savor a single morsel once he had his hands on it. He's a  _monster_  that way. You wouldn't even dare. Damn, I believe he can even finish Aiya's Rainy Day Special in less than a minute.

Now I just recalled something.

Crap… The forecast said it's going to rain tonight.

"Anyway, let's see Mayonaka TV tonight," I replied, teeth gritting slightly.

"What the fuck are you so tensed about, senpai?" Tatsumi bellowed, walking towards us. Fuck. I thought I was going to have a heart attack.

Hanamura frowned and pilfered a large piece of chicken I was munching on earlier. "Right, man. You're all over the place lately." Tch. And you're absolutely not helping. Enjoying indirect French kisses much?

Ugh. Bad train of thought.

* * *

"Man, it's all blurry. All I can see is a spiky top."

From that, I knew.

 _He_ is the target. Fuck it.

…I'm saying a lot of obscenities for a while now. Damn. Oh, that one fucking slipped right out of my mouth. Shit.

"Hello..? Aibou?"

"R-right. What was it again?"

Hanamura sighed. In worry or annoyance, I'm not really sure. "Hell, man. Relax for a bit. No need to be stressed out. We need to figure out who that is."

That doesn't require any more proof. I knew him like the back of my hand. Or, maybe not that much. But hey, I stalked him for a while, probably better than Jiraiya was claiming to be with his suit and all. Learning the Way of the Shadows is so much fun while it lasted. Maybe I'll give you a crash course later.

"There's no need. It's Haru-senpai."

The music-lover gasped. "Now that you're saying it, it sure does look like Kageyama-senpai," he pondered aloud, his hero instincts kicking once more. "What will I tell Satonaka and Amagi?"

"I'm not certain… Most likely they could only see silhouettes," I responded, massaging the area between my brows. "If they did see something clearly, then they should've called me or you, in the case of Satonaka."

"Whoa, the typical Casanova, eh?" Hanamura chuckled, dismissing the serious stuff that were discussing for the whole five minutes. "Anyway, aibou," he started, curiosity lingering in his voice.

"Between those two, who's your type?"

What the fuck was that? Wait. I shouldn't stutter. Composure, Narukami. Your cover hasn't been blown yet.  _I can do this._

"I can do this what?" Hanamura asked, obviously hearing my thoughts. Or rather my slip up. Tch. Talking to yourself in private is stupid.

"Nothing. And for your question, neither."

"Seriously?" Hanamura shot up, incredulous. He paused for a few seconds before adapting a Tatsumi-kage tone. Oh dear…

"Don't tell me you fancy Tatsumi?"

"And here I thought you were smitten when you told him to rest a little after his rescue," I countered, recalling full well that I was a little peeved when he was oh-so-concerned at our team's bleached-blonde kouhai.

My partner-proclaimed partner dropped his phone and sent my ears to Valhalla for a few seconds. Kami-sama, please alleviate my newly-acquired, partner-induced acute tinnitus. Partner? No matter how nice that sounded…

"Dude, that's gross! Didn't you remember that I had told you I dreamed of swimming in vanilla-flavored lube for two nights?" he screamed, earning a yell from what I thought was his mother scolding him to keep it down.

"I was okay with it though. Vanilla's tempting. You smell like the stuff too." Hanamura smells like vanilla most of the time. Well…sweat, dust, antibacterial hand gel, cardboard boxes, and steak croquettes in other cases.

Now he's scratching his head. Predictable. "Argh! You're a jerk! You're not cute anymore!"

"Thanks for the compliment."

Hanamura simmered down. Goodness gracious. He has too much energy. Well, as a Magician, he should know how to spam spells. In the real world, he spams his thoughts into words instead. At least his verbosity doesn't require healing items or we're going to be broke anytime soon.

"Tch. That aside, how about we tune in tomorrow? It will be a rainy week, or so the announcer said," the other boy on the line offered, caution marking his words.

"Sure. Let's call it a night then."

But… As per usual, we ended up talking until four in the morning. This is becoming a routine…

* * *

Ah. Morning. It was crummy, and it was drizzling a bit. I feel lethargic. Lack of sleep as the doctor ordered. Man, Hanamura is quite the talker. If he earns a yen per word that leaves his mouth, I'm sure he can buy another franchise of Junes. Tch. Even these annoying senpai can't seem to contain their thoughts to themselves.

"Have you seen it?"

"Of course! Kage-senpai is my soulmate!"

"No, he's mine! I saw him first!"

"Oh! I'm his classmate at the review center. I'll definitely confess to him tomorrow!"

Hmph. As if. Wait, Kage-senpai. Shadow senpai, huh?

Lunch came and we're lounging at the rooftop. Well, that only comprises me, Amagi, Satonaka and Tatsumi. Hanamura is late. Hm. What if I finish this tonkatsu…

"Aibou! Bad news!"

The frog ninja's real side presented himself with a speed rivaling that of Jiraiya's ground-thrashing Garula. Kudos. Your training is worthwhile that you might even put a dent on that door. That's twice this week, na? Alright, now. Bad news? On top of an irritating morning? Gah, those senpai's whims are still bashing my eardrums.

"Calm down. Deep breaths."

Hanamura did as I told him.

"Oi, Hana-senpai. What's all this fuss? You're late. We're about to devour this pork cutlets but Naru-senpai said we can't touch it until you came."

Satonaka huffed her cheeks and aimed to kick our classmate. "Mou! Spit it up already so we can eat!" She then spat her meat gum at the concrete, a sticky mess of ABC gum making me gag a little. Oh, Tatsumi taught me that.  _Already Been Chewed_. "I can't live off on meat gum the whole day!"

"Snrk, ABC gum! Already Been Chewed! Ahahahaha!" Amagi snorted before laughing incessantly, gaining us a sweatdropping expression. Damn, how can she just do that?

"Eh, Yukiko, it's not even funny…" the kung fu girl, deadpanned, her eyes on  _my_  tonkatsu. Hell, I am a kind person, but I think I'll have Hanamura judge it before you do. As she tried to sweep away a slice of breaded pork, I deftly swayed the whole bento box away from her. Okay. Grab some air for now. Patience is a virtue, my dear. Let's hear Hanamura out first, shall we?

"Dude!" my seatmate said between pants. "Kageyama-senpai…"

My eyes widened in exponential proportions. No. This can't be.

"He's absent. Nagase went to his class to tell him about having a basketball practice later with Ichijo at the gym since it will probably rain later and the field will be too soggy for soccer," Hanamura eyed me, distraught seeping into his features.

Let's try to approach this logically. It's frying my neurons, but still… "Did someone check his house?"

Crap, I don't even know where he lives!

"I sneaked into the faculty, and I heard that they called up his aunt," he replied and then shook his head.

"His grandmother answered… Tch. His school bag was still inside his room."

Fuck.

The announcer said it's going to  _rain_  tonight.

Without further ado, I ran.

* * *

"Oh! Sensei! I missed ya! How nice of you to visit me alone!" Kuma said giddily. "I wish you brought Chie-chan, Yuki-chan or Kanji though."

I'm not in the mood for niceties today. Fuck. Senpai's going to die tonight if I don't do something. Calm down…

"Sensei? You look like a bear-y threatened Kanji… Did something happen?"

Okay. That does it.

"Anyone got fucking kicked here while we were gone?" I said darkly. Sorry Kuma… You look scared, but hell, I don't even know how to start…

The bear wiggled a bit and sat on the floor. "I thought you'd never ask… I smell something bear-y different starting last night. Well, I thought it was night; I peeked outside the Junes TV that you are using when I noticed a different scent in here. It was all dark and there's no one around, so I thought it was night."

I sighed. Sometimes, I hate it when I'm right. "Sorry Kuma, I lost my bear-ings back there," I apologized, trying out a pun that might suit his taste.

The bear gleamed in delight, not recognizing the depth of the situation, or he opted to decrease the tension that is building up.

"Brilliant, sensei! As expected from you!" Kuma squealed, flowers literally popping out everywhere. He then sobered up quickly.

"But sensei, the Shadows… They're particularly restless today… It feels like it's going to rain on your world soon…" the bear mumbled, ears flopping low. "I'm trying to find him even before you came, but… I can't locate where it is, much like Kanji when he was… uh… thrown in here…"

That's not very reassuring.

Punching the black and white floor hurts a tad that it makes my knuckles sting. Fuck. I don't know where his house is, I don't know anyone who freaking knows him a lot to get a hold of anything solid about him aside from my stock knowledge, and damn, why do I feel helpless?

"Sensei…"

Why does it have to happen now?!

* * *

_**A Partner In Need is A Partner Indeed (Channel 1)** _

"I'm cutting class," I announced, wrapping the cloth around the half-finished bento that the other three devoured in less than five minutes. Believe me, when aibou gets hungry, you'll be amazed, so I'm saving his share before you end up inhaling his miraculous food.

Amagi has this grim look over her face. "If I had known…"

"Hold your dragons," Satonaka interrupted. "How can we be certain that it was 'Kage-senpai' who got kicked in the TV?" she mused, chugging her TaP soda in huge gulps. Damn, how I hate her now. She wrinkled her nose at my glare. Hah. Eat that.

"Like, huh? We didn't even see a clear picture last night. Might not be the same guy, na? What do you think, Hana-senpai."

_Calm down. Deep breaths._

Okay, I'm doing it, partner. Here goes.

"I think I saw him clearly," I lied. I was only basing it on conjecture. "Spiky hair, sharp gaze. If it's not Kageyama-senpai, then can you suggest who he is?"

Silence greeted me. Tch. They're all tensed up. Not good. We can't get anything done if we sit around here.

My Aibou Senses are tingling.

"I'm heading to Junes," I declared, standing from my own space at the rooftop. "If I think I'm right, Kuma would require something with the 'scent' of senpai, just like the case of Tatsumi."

"Hm… Then how did you find me?" Amagi wondered, recalling that we never needed anything to find her place at the backside of the TV.

My mind working a bit, I hypothesized. "Perhaps Satonaka has something to do with that."

"Huh?" the kung fu Prince had her jaw drop to the floor. "Why me?"

"Because of," I started, putting the videotape on review. "Attachment. Strong feelings, inner thoughts, misgivings, denials, positive and negative emotions… They have this sort of imprinting of a human's personality. That creates a signature of who you are. When we visited the TV after Amagi was kidnapped, you never hesitated to find her, even without Kuma's glasses. That alone might be the reason why Kuma led us to her Shadow's castle in the first place. If you might recall, Kuma said that it was easy to find her.

"In Tatsumi's case, we barely know him at that time. His mother's relationship to Amagi was almost purely business. That is why we can't get anything related to him when we needed that. Now," he paused a bit and looked at the bleached-blonde brawler. "What was the divining catalyst again?"

"It was Usagi-kun," Tatsumi said with a flush. Man, blushing all the time isn't cute.

Well, Narukami's cute.

"E-exactly," I coughed a bit, pushing that thought aside for inspection later. After composing myself as that jerk would, I continued. "So that's how we found your bath house."

"That makes much sense now," Satonaka made an ooh-sound and tapped her fist lightly on her palm. "We're looking for what?"

Now, it's time for my Jiraiya Ninja Moves!

"I'll steal information at the faculty office."

Tatsumi perked up at the sound of an operation ready to be engaged. "Then what are we going to do?"

"Hm. There's give or take half an hour more. Try to ask his classmates or something," I attempted, hoping that they will agree.

"Sure thing. I'll ask Nagase again," Satonaka said, rolling up her blouse sleeve. "Let's go Yukiko."

"Ara… You're really into this, Hanamura," Amagi replied, a little smile made its way on her face.

"Of course," I winked and gestured a thumbs-up sign. "As the leader's right hand man, I should assist him in any way possible."

Now why am I not getting all 'doki-doki' about it?

Argh. Later!

"It's exciting! I'm skipping afternoon class for the first time. Not to mention Konohana Sakuya seems to be ready for action," she added, looking determined.

Oh, their Personas are giving hints on them too.

Tiny drops of water started to drizzle lightly on the rooftop. Damn. Time is running out.

"Alright, we'll meet at Junes in an hour. Investigate as much as you can."

Satonaka rose and headed for the door. However, she paused in the stride and turned around to face me.

"For a while, I thought you're Narukami in Hanamura's body."

* * *

_**The Fool's Errand (Channel 0)** _

Kuma was at the bleachers, his nose high up, trying to get even a hint of Haru-senpai in this damn, yellow, foggy place that I'm hating a little more each second.

Huh? My bleeding knuckle…

A vanilla-scented Dia spell? And tonkatsu too…

"If you think we'll be letting you off on your own, then you are definitely mistaken, aibou."

That giggle. Amagi…

"Snrk. Aibou… Hahaha! Trying to sound so cool… How lame! Hahahaha!"

"Hey, quit it!" Hanamura bellowed, shaking his head in humiliation.

"Oi, we're cutting class so we better do this quick or we'll be getting an earful at home later," Satonaka said casually, her hands on her hips, sporting that easy smile she always has when she's perked up.

"Senpai! You're a riot! Let's hang out after this!"

Tatsumi… Everyone…

"Kuma!" Jiraiya's Other shouted, causing the bear to jump off the metal risers and sauntered cutely towards the team.

"Yosuke! Oh that thing! It smells like the one thrown in here last night!"

My seatmate sighed in relief. "Whew, good thing Nanako-chan was sent home early," he gestured Kuma to analyze the article of clothing that was inside a garment bag. I was utterly shocked that he was able to get a hold of  _that_.

Worry graced my features. "Was she sick?"

"No, no! On the contrary, she was very healthy," Hanamura winked. Damn. Stop doing that. "Her teacher was sick so they were sent home. Luckily, we found that when we raided your room." He then made a one-handed apology bow, looking sheepish as he did it again and again.

"Sorry aibou… Don't worry I didn't peek under your…"

Damn! No!

"That's alright…" I sighed. Honestly, how much did he see? Anyway, that overcoat…

"Ara? That winter school coat." Amagi's curiosity went up a notch. "It doesn't look familiar."

"It's from his former school," Hanamura seconded with a nod, then after a few clicks from his phone, he showed a slideshow of images that he gathered from I-don't-know-where. Most likely the internet.

"Well made. I could definitely vouch on those seams," Tatsumi praised. For a person with his parents in the textile business, I wouldn't be so surprised. He's a Home Economics type of person too, so who am I to judge? Besides, I might order an Usagi-kun or a pink alligator next time.

"And based from school records, Kageyama Haru-senpai was a student there as well."

How much do  _you_  know, Hanamura?

"…" Amagi's waiting for the next statement.

"…" Satonaka's the same.

"…" Tatsumi's crossing his arms, eager to hear another detail.

"…" Kuma's still busy sniffing that jacket.

"That is all."

"What? No punch line or anything?" Satonaka screeched, kicking Hanamura at his shin.

"Of course there's none!" Hanamura defended himself. A critical hit on the 'nads isn't beneficial in our situation now.

"That's the only thing that has a connection to senpai, you know," he supported his denial of having any more facts, but his knowing gaze at me tells me the otherwise.

It was more like sending a 'We're in for a sake night later.' via telepathic link.

"Sensei! I know where he's at!"

Saved by the bear. Ah, how I love being Japanese.

* * *

Pristine buildings adorned the vast expanse of a center fountain, showing signs of well-maintenance of the said infrastructures. The automated gate behind them boasts of increased security while the soccer field shows well-trimmed greens. It was all perfect – save for the looming metal scaffolding that reminds us that we are still inside the TV world.

"This is…" Tatsumi said in awe. The others were silent. Tch. I'm quite nervous to step into one of those accursed buildings. Believe me, even if I were blind, I can traverse this place with ease. My stalking career all started here.

"My former school." I won't even tell its name. It's not the same thing. This is  _not_  my school. This is a figment of Haru-senpai's mind.

Soon, shouts, mumbles, giggles, and whispers attacked our ears. Fog began to thin out, much to my dislike. I means that the Shadows will be rampant anytime soon. Tch.

_"Kageyama-senpai is the bomb!"_

_"Kageyama-senpai aced the exam again!"_

Shadow silhouettes of what it seemed like students appeared out of nowhere.

_"Kageyama-senpai is way too cool! There's… GOAL! I'm going to faint~"_

Black outlines of people flooded the soccer field. Then the whole area was bustling with Shadows.

…the thing is, they weren't even attacking, as if frozen in time.

All was about Haru-senpai.

Wait, everyone here says Kageyama-senpai here, Kageyama-kun there…

How eerily nostalgic it makes me wanna puke.

"Creepy…" Amagi mumbled, scooting closer to Satonaka, clutching her elbow for dear life.

Tatsumi grunted, but I think he's more afraid than what he was showing.

Hanamura though, was a little calmer than I thought he would.

"Shit. This is all bullshit. How sickening," a dissonant voice echoed around them.

"So what if I aced an exam? Big deal? Good looks are useless. Playing the game with the jocks and enjoying it? Ha. We're not even close to be considered friends!"

The Shadows began to fade, bringing an ominous feeling that things will not be as smooth as we went here. Tch. No. Please. Not that scene or I'll crumble…

"Hn. Kageyama-senpai here, Kageyama-kun there… It's irritating that I want to kill them all!"

Of course I know that.

"Then after a while, he came."

Not a trace of Shadow was left in the area and they were at the empty front of the school, the fountain still running as it used to, gentle thrashing of water making the only noise in the sticky silence that enveloped the team.

"I'm not sure you'll like this but we need to get there, Sensei," Kuma pointed out at the second floor of the main building.

Tch. That place…

Hanamura patted me at the back. He knew too much.

A few minutes later, we reached that accursed place. Yep, the corridor next to 2-3 classroom. It was just near the stairs and the view there was peaceful.

It was the time when I confessed.

"Haru-senpai. It was the first time that I was addressed by that name. I was always respected, always looked up upon, always sought after. Never in my life was I called so casually," the disharmonious voice said fondly.

"But!"

Oh no. Not this. Kami-sama…

"Ne, aibou. Keep your cool, na? We wouldn't know anything if we won't listen," Hanamura spoke, giving me a concerned gaze as we walked along the corridors.

Looks like our tables are turned this time around.

"He told me he liked me! And I threw him away!"

Sounds of flung seats and broken windows rung alarm bells within our systems.

"I am still regretting that day. Until I came there, I didn't have any hope of meeting him again. A lot had changed when we were hanging out, attending club, having sleepovers, reviewing for exams… Everything was fun! But then I destroyed it."

"You're wrong!"

Damn, that's Ha- no. I'll opt to Kageyama-senpai for now. It's better than having my cover blown in a heartbeat.

"That's certainly Kageyama-senpai!" I screamed, mowing the sliding door away, seeing a duel between a maroon-gloved male and his Shadow wearing the same jacket as the one we used to find his location.

"You're… you're  _lying_!" Kageyama roared, lunging at the Shadow to give him a flying jab at the jaw. He missed miserably. "I didn't  _even_  think of that! It was horrific! It was the most  _disgusting_  thing that ever happened in my life!"

I'm positive that I'm about to cry. Tch. No. I should be stronger than  _before_.

The Shadow sighed and evaded every blow. His white tonfa baton twirled lazily in his grasp. Then, he gave me a quick gaze before resuming his smiting. "Eh? You sure about that? Then why did you leave? Why did you leave  _me_  behind? Why did I try my best not to cry when I slumped here after he ran away? Why can't you accept that your feelings  _changed_ over time? You can't lie to me for I'm your  _true_  self."

Collected gasps from my team mates warned me of the worst thing that could happen right here.

"Oh no," Hanamura winced. "Here goes."

Right  _now_.

Haru-senpai took a deep breath and thundered in the way that hurt me the most.

" _You are not me!_ "

…haha. That's the same tone of voice he used when he dumped me.

Haru-kage's lips curled into an evil smile. Tch. Don't make that face. Haru-senpai will never  _ever_  do that.

"So… I am  _me_  now! I am the one who can accept change! I therefore judge you unacceptable. Since you cannot accede to the transformation of your desires… I'll be the one who'll reap it!"

The Shadows from earlier reappeared and began to twitch in pain as they gathered around the other side of Haru-senpai, the classroom implements flying in its wake. After all that bustle, what we can only see was a Shadow with a monocle and a searing white tonfa, wearing a pristine overcoat of the high school I attended a year ago.

"I am a Shadow. The TRUE self."

…Haru-senpai is now staring at me, realizing that we were here when the whole drama unfolded.

"Yu-chan?" he said in a whisper.

"Sensei! He's using Mudo and Agi! Just a heads-up!" Kuma retorted, frantically hiding behind the remains of a chalkboard. "Chie-chan, stay away from those flames!"

"All right!" Hanamura exclaimed, his stance ready to strike in a moment's notice. "Jiraiya! Sukukaja on everyone!"

A cool breeze lifted our spirits as our every step became light.

"Thanks! Now, Angel!"

A blindfolded divinity floated in the air, her chains clinking in restraint despite how free she looked. The agony of being held down by rules and tradition… Damn. I didn't know that it showed that side of me really well.

"Hama!" A spell of paper charms lit the area with a gentle, golden glow and enveloped Haru-senpai's Shadow in an instant.

"Oh, if it wasn't Yu-chan!" the Shadow laughed, eyeing me in contempt. "How's your new school?"

Fuck.

"Sensei! He's resistant to light, for some unknown reason! Beware! Mudo can hit you bear-y badly now! I suggest changing Personas!"

"Oh, that girl? Hm. This judgement will be painless," Haru-kage chortled and waved his tonfa in a brash yet graceful manner that I'll never forget. "See you in the afterlife, my dear."

Shit… Amagi went unconscious… Fuck… I can't even protect my comrades…

"Satonaka, Tatsumi!" Hanamura shouted in distress, sending a barrage of Garula spells to send that abomination flying. However, that didn't do much damage as the damn Shadow Haru-senpai blasted Mudo spells in succession.

Another round and Satonaka's down too. Even Tatsumi's bulldozer Persona isn't immune to Mudo. Tch.

"Sorry senpai, I think I'd sleep for a while," the sole kouhai said with a broken grin before he fell out of consciousness.

"Damn!" Hanamura tossed me a gummy bear pack. "You figure this thing out! I'll guard Kageyama-senpai!"

He zoomed and evaded every Agi and Agilao the Shadow shot him, throwing a precious Revival Bead to everyone down along his path.

"Tch. Will… Yu-chan be okay?" I thought I heard him say that to Hanamura.

A wink and a thumbs-up. This never gets old. "You can just watch him, na?" he said pompously and began instructing Jiraiya to rain a barrage of Dia spells to Satonaka, Amagi and Tatsumi. Fuck. Don't faint or I'll clock you dizzy. I'm counting on you.

As much as this conversation is going…

Dark… Dark… Oh. Right. How fitting. Two Magicians will definitely make a better Fool.

Reclaiming the two Jack cards in my Persona deck, I recalled what Margaret-san told me.

_"In emergency situations, you may be able to Fuse Personas in the midst of the battlefield. We will bestow you the Arcana Glyph as a catalyst. However, it will be taxing on your energy, so better have a source of it after Fusion, or we'll never know how you will end up. May the Fates bring you best luck in your endeavor."_

The Arcana Glyph shone a faint blue as I set Jack Frost and Jack o'Lantern side by side, causing a link to form and the magic circle spun like a desperately twirling gyroscope. A flash of light later and the card presented itself to me.

"Black Frost!"

He's so cute that it's  _scary…_

"Nice pick Sensei!" Kuma cheered, running behind me to escape a fire blast that aimed his way. "He absorbs fire, ice and reflects Mudo!"

By now, the whole team is back in their feet. I can smell victory.

"Mind Charge!" That spell really cranks up the notch. Say hello to oblivion later, Haru-kage.

The other four stayed back, shielding senpai in case he screams bloody murder again. This time, it'll end in one blow.

Charge successful. With the help of Ice Boost…

"Bufula."

Succumb to your end.

The cute demon nodded and blew a stormy blizzard at the Shadow who tried to sidestep the wide area of the frigid spell to no avail. In a snap, he was freezing in a coffin made of clear, black ice.

"Change! Izanagi!"

It's now five to one. This is for what you put Haru-senpai through.

"Everyone, it's time for an all-out attack!" Kuma signalled, getting everyone's attention ready for the fall of the curtains.

"Get bent!"

"Hyaaaaa!"

"Go, me!"

"Let's go, aibou!"

"Ah. Let's go."

The glittering crystal shattered, revealing the Shadow where it all started. We were still in awe how snobbish his features are, despite the tell-tale signs of tiredness and near-sobbing into silent tears. My feet crunched on wood splinters, molten plastic and twisted metal as I approached the stoic Shadow – senpai's other self. He eyed me longingly but never said a word. Soon, I was shoved by Haru-senpai, acting as rash as he had been, thus making a certain kicking girl and a short-fused male to almost flock to my side and shield me. How I appreciate that.

I turned back to see Hanamura shaking his head slowly and whispered things out of my earshot. They immediately held back and stayed out of my fur. Tch.

"There's no need to say anything about this, Narukami," Haru-senpai hissed, though I feel that it wasn't the way he was supposed to say it. After all, I was the greatest stalker of all time.

Without words, the Shadow understood. Before rising up to the air, he whispered something in my ear, out of senpai's sharp ears. Oh. This Shadow is  _him_  after all.

"I think I like you too, when you said it to me a year ago. Believe me, I was happy when I heard that."

Your worst enemy is your own self.

With a boyish grin, he disappeared and was replaced by a Persona. Despite its tattered trench coat, it still stood proud, its monocle replaced by a perpetually calculating Geiger counter that reminded me of my childhood days, as well as a glowing tonfa that certainly bore judgment whenever it struck. Of course, that spiky hair is discernible anywhere. It seemed odd since it was silver… Like mine.

"So, he's my Persona?" he said wearily, reluctantly grabbing my shoulder to balance himself. Pfft. Your pride will be the death of you someday…

If only Death wasn't your Arcana.

I chuckled and sighed in relief. "As observant as ever."

Hanamura then decided to pipe in this crowning moment of heartwarming. No. Scratch that. I think Haru-senpai still hates me. Tch.

"Sorry to interrupt your lovely reunion, but I think we should get out of here, na?"

Shit Hanamura, you jinxed it.

The earth rumbled, cracking the sturdy concrete. Damn. We can't get squashed like this. Not after this rescue.

"Dammit! I cracked that Goho-m when I stumbled earlier…" Tatsumi mumbled, looking grim at his misgiving. I don't blame you, since it was bound to happen. The question is –

"How do we get out?" Amagi asked rather worriedly, summoning Konohana Sakuya to burn any debris that might fall down on them.

"My kicking won't work here," the kung fu girl replied in frustration, sending Tomoe to slash anywhere that seemed soft enough to crumble. Unfortunately, a rather huge slab of concrete is aiming its way at us. Shit, even Angel can't hold that!

"Aibou! I'll try to hold it up for ya!" Hanamura gritted, Jiraiya casting a stream of Garula to prevent the darned thing from juicing us alive while Take-mizakuchi shielded them from the further falling debris.

"Sensei!"

Fuck, after we've gone this far…

"Care traveling through the Gates of Hell and back?"

Haru-senpai?

The Death card twirled lazily and had settled in front of him before shattering it with a right jab.

"Enma-o."

So that was his name. The Judge of the Dead, huh?

"Traesto."

* * *

We were back at the TV world's school grounds, noticing that only the area we were in was damaged. Other locations looked fine as it was, much like how I saw it a year ago. The stale air made me reel though. Hanamura saluted and marched comically at the path Kuma led us here. It would be wise to backtrack the way we went in; the front stage lobby is the safest place in Mayonaka TV.

"Maybe it's saying that I accepted that change," Haru-senpai stated as we lagged behind, probably much to himself. Hanamura settled on ushering the other three, Kuma shuffling from Satonaka to Amagi and vice-versa, annoying Tatsumi to infinity. Haha. Invoking the 'leader spirit' huh? I chucked a lychee-flavored bear into my mouth and chewed it with gusto. Fusing Black Frost outside the Velvet Room is more tiring than having it done with Margaret-san's assistance. Anyway, I thought that Hanamura did a great job today. I was blindly searching for facts, but he just breezed through it. Perhaps I'll give his brains a little more respect. Kudos, Hanamura. He didn't plan the whole rescue operation by himself, did he? Hell, for real? I'm trying to think of a witty, laugh-my-ass off comeback but...

Oops. I'm getting a Death glare. "Anything funny, Narukami?"

Alright. Now he moved on. He still gives me a funny feeling in the stomach, but that's just about it.

"No, nothing at all."

"So here's your crowd of merry men. And that was Hanamura, na?" I swear he glared at the poor idiot as well.

"Quit yapping or I'll - "

"Anyway, I think you're amazing back there," he said casually, pertaining to our ordeal earlier. "I was ready to accept that I won't get out of here until I saw an angel," said senpai, his grip tightening on my shoulder. Tch. He's in pain. However, he refused to be healed after five rounds of Dia. What a stubborn prick.

"Another Dia might –"

"No," he refused me again. Ugh. Fine. Suit yourself. The hell I care? Okay, I lied. I  _do_  care.

"What's the fucking deal anyway?" My anger management jumped out of my window. The hell. I was  _worried_  to death. It might be raining hard outside as we speak. And then the fog will lift... Fuck. I won't even stray into that thought. _  
_

"I hurt you, so it's fine to let it heal on its own. Sort of your payback, if you may," he replied, grinning weakly, appearing embarrassed and apologetic.

Tch. Haru-senpai has his idiotic moments, apparently.

"Masochist."

He just chuckled it off! Fuck! Hello? How drastic his changes can be?

"Ah, another thing, what my Shadow said… Um, ah… D-do you still – "

Once I've made my mind up, no one can bend it. That's the rule. Well, I've broken that a few times, but those don't really count.

"No," I replied with a smile. Simple. Less words, less worries. Just like I've learned from you.

He glanced at the back of that obnoxiously loud Hanamura and prodded my side with a light punch. "So, is it him?"

You're in no position to ask me that question, Haru-senpai.

"Alright, be that way," he laughed again. Oh Kami-sama, I missed that. He never really laughed that much when we're in the close friends' zone before. He was a glutton, a tightwad, a stuck-up-in-the-ass senpai who always urged me to study, study, and party a little on the side. Obnoxious. Why did I ever confess to him in the first place? Hmph. The matters of the heart is certainly complicated.

In a heartbeat, he swiped a cherry-flavored bear from my pack. Damn. That was the last one. He popped it easily into his welcoming mouth and smirked at me.

"I'll start from scratch to make you like me again."

* * *

 **_O_ ** **_mak_ ** **_e-kyun_ ** **_!_ ** **_(Channel [-.-])_ **

It was still early, and the rain kept pouring like buckets. The weather announcer was right. Fog warnings bleeped in every report that flashed on the TV of a konbini where the Fool, Magician, and Death was at. Kageyama left the cashier to scan the 'good' stuff for celebration tonight.

They all went out, Hanamura still leading the way.

"Kageyama-senpai! You're so  _amazing_!" the brunette squealed giddily, his cheek caressing the green bottle of mid-class sake in awe. "We're all underage, but you pulled off that adult persona perfectly!"

"Duh. I'm wearing casual clothes. Besides, I just moved in recently; they didn't have an inkling about my true age," the jet-spiked senpai stated matter-of-factly.

Narukami increased his pace to match the Magician and nudged him at the ribs.

"Oi, stop seducing that bottle. A genie might come out and sue you for sexual harassment," the Fool chided, earning a playful smack at the back of his head courtesy of a pouting Hanamura.

"You really know how to ruin the mood, aibou," he scoffed before turning to face the upperclassman that they rescued an hour ago. He was pacing a few steps behind them, holding a rather small umbrella that Hanamura stole himself at the racks near the Electronics Department. His calculating looks were akin to Enma-o's; albeit a little watered-down, it was still intense that it made him a tad uneasy.

"By the way, care to join us, Kageyama-senpai?" Hanamura offered. "Those croquettes that I bought earlier rock. There's Narukami's leftover tonkatsu too. Sake is their best buddies and there'll be no school tomorrow."

"I'll pass. I won't allow Sanae-san to file a missing person's report at the police station later," he stated with a sigh. "I'm beaten up too, so I'll rest for the weekend. I appreciate your offer though."

"He's a lightweight," Narukami stage-whispered, the Magician making this sort of "Oooh" sounds and nodding as if he understood how the multiplication table works, earning a senpai's scowl in annoyance.

"Anyway," the newly-rescued male changed his tone to a confused one. "I really don't know what happened. It's just BAM! Then I was at that drab replica of my- ah- our former school," he continued, stealing a glance at the Fool busy chewing on Berry Blast edition of gummy bears.

"Much like Amagi and Tatsumi, huh?" Hanamura pondered aloud, slowing his stride to keep up with the friction in his mind's gears. "Mou… That's three now in a row…"

Tucking that information for further checking, Kageyama raised his thoughts in curiosity.

"Personas, do you, like, summon them to kill those black abominations?" he asked, slipping his hand inside his pants pocket.

It was Narukami's  _Fool of Persona! Corner_  all of a sudden.

"Right. Without them, you're Shadow fodder," he stated ominously, much like those cheap horror movies. "And by gaining one, you can do this-"

He wiggled his fingers in a rather disconcerting manner and chucked his arm straight into the poor, broken TV sitting under the lamp post together with a few more broken appliances.

"The fuck, aibou! You shouldn't do that-" Hanamura checked the surroundings for any bystanders and sighed in relief when he found none. "-in public!"

However, the senpai was unabashed.

"Oh, like this?"

"Damn, senpai! Not you too!"

"The air's too stagnant on the other side," Enma-o's Other nodded in his discovery. "Like it's in the eye of a storm."

"Stop it, Haru- I mean, Kageyama-senpai," the silverette's eyes steeled at his senior, gaze promising something painful if he didn't concede.

Perking at the old way the Fool addressed him, he smirked and brushed his hands against his sleeve as if it was dirty. "Fine. Hanamura seems to be hyperventilating now. Maa, I'll leave you two be. See you guys on Monday Yu- ah, I mean Narukami. Hanamura too. Thanks for letting me out of that... place again."

With that, Death bowed and quickly evaporated from the scene, leaving a dazed Fool and an angry Magician.

The partners walked in silence, each mulling deep within their thoughts. A few strides further and they reached the crossroads where they usually split after hanging out.

"Your place or mine?" Hanamura queried, still looking a bit peeved, the bottles of sake jingling inside the plastic bag when he twisted to meet a pensive Narukami.

"I'll call Nanako."

"Sweet!" the Prince of Junes wailed as he made a total 360, much like he did when Narukami met Konishi Saki for the first time.

"You're going to be mine tonight, aibou!"

The Fool suddenly turned white as a sheet.

* * *

Innuendo much?

Anyway, fuuu~ I'm done with this baby. Point out any mistakes that your eyes may catch. I'll be dozing off for a while. Tch. Kageyama Haru is fun to write. And somehow, Hanamura got a gist of what the senpai's turmoil was all about.

Whoooo! Smokes and chocolates and I'm off to Dreamland once again. Hope you liked this chapter. XD

-Sakuraba Ryuichiro, smoking a Black Marl and chewing on a chocolate-covered caramel sweet. (Alcohol later at 7pm, at last!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yep. I did the channels correctly now.
> 
> Minor update:  
> Put the line
> 
> "H-haru-senpai?" I whispered to myself.
> 
> at the start of the POV change. Tch. Sorry for being too OC about it. Next scent in 3-4 days. Sorry again!
> 
> Another update:  
> Changed
> 
> You're in no position to answer that question, Haru-senpai.
> 
> to
> 
> You're in no position to ask me that question, Haru-senpai.
> 
> ...tch. Because that just didn't fit. The next scent might be up tomorrow or the day after next. XD


	5. Scent 5 - Please, Find Me.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Death never wanted a single part of it. The Star has his tribulations. The Lovers is lost her own world. With the help of sake the night after the Death's rescue, the Fool should always remember that whatever happens, Zero always has One by his side. YoYuYo. Shounen-ai. Maybe some yaoi later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And this baby is up after a day of grueling writing from scratch and burning a pack of cigarettes in its wake.

Would You Love Me?

Yo. It's been a while, na? Got caught up between working at the store and gaining some weight. I prefer being scrawny so I could keep up this 'uke' image and besides, my wardrobe won't offer much if I would be putting on more than ten pounds. However, I think I'm being too skinny to my liking. Sucks, na? Good thing I'm not too tall though; that makes a perfect uke pose. Not that I mind if they're towering over me since I can Galactic Punt their 'nads if I wanted to. But then, earning cash for another set of denim jeans on top of guy makeup (tinted moisturizer, raspberry lip balm, vanilla musk spritz and pale brown eyeliner) along with paying for my internet connection will definitely burn my pocket faster than puffing a cigarette stick. Mou… And I'm saving up for my future Hanamura prescription lenses…

Anyway, you guy are so awesome! I never expected  _that_  many hits in such a short period of time. Arigatou na!

This Scent involves Risette and her awesome boobies (I prefer male chests though, thank you very much.) and her carbohydrate-rich True Story entrance.

Well, here goes my write-till-I-drop stint once again. Rise-chan is a complex one; she has too many façades! There's this tired and rather unenthusiastic one, a chipper one, hell, even a flaunty/flirty to boot, plus all others that I never even thought of her having. She's an actress, after all. Oh, since her Persona is Himiko before turning into Kanzeon (Kannon, one who accompanied Amida in his endeavors), might as well make her connection to Kageyama-chan visible. They were in the city for some time and then it all happened. Whether you like it or not, please. Just humor me.

Alright. Indulge.

DISCLAIMER:

The same thing as Scent 1. Add Tentacle Grape, Sailormoon, Final Fantasy series, a lone Pokemon, and Inoue Orihime to the list. Over.

* * *

**Scent 5 – Please, Find Me**

_**Miso-chii! Tofu-chan: Live in Tokyo International Forum (Channel 6)** _

"I quit."

How I loved that two-word sentence as it rolled out of my mouth. I'm tired of living this 'idol' life. Too many hassles; those meeting, shootings, costume checks… My life sucks, don't you think? I'm just a girl. Sure, cute outfits look good on me, not that I'm being conceited or something, but I know when something fits me like a glove. My figure is carefully watched, but dieting meant I won't be able to eat a sugary crepe anytime soon, or perhaps a rubbery steak skewer back home. Mou…

This ends  _now_.

"Hey, wait – oi, Rise!" my manager cried as I sauntered as excitedly as I can to the stage. My manager is kind and I kinda feel bad tossing this burden at him but then again, it's me who will be doing things for him so he may just have to bear with it. Aside from that…

Hmph. Fanboys are too easy to please. Just a small wink and a little smile can make them doki-doki to Heaven. Not that I minded though. This will be the last time that I will be doing this.

"Here I go!"

My single  _True Story_  started to play in the background. No. I don't lip synch, if you might ask. That's a terrible no-no for idols like me. Well, a former idol after four concert hours.

Sayonara, Risette. I hope we won't see each other again.

* * *

Ah. This feels great. Inaba's the same as I remembered. He told me that for a quiet town, it is bustling with activity here now that Junes flourishes rather invasively. Hm. That might put up a great competition to our meek tofu shop, but hell, this makes up for a good diversion. I might be taking a 'hiatus' now, but my city life can't be changed that drastically. The convenience is a welcome change.

"Milk? Oh, alright. I'll pick 'em up real quick," I mumbled to my phone, my eyes scanning the area for possible threats. Stalkers are fine; however, you'll never know when someone will just pull you near some awful corner and Tentacle Grape you to death. Mou… Scary…

"Is that her?" one lady whispered to her guy companion, pointing that index finger on me. Crap. My disguise is blown out of proportion. I should've worn a cap to hide my locks and wore some boyish clothing as per his suggestion. I might try that pretty soon.

"Don't sweat it, obaa-chan. I'll be back in a heartbeat," I reassured my grandmother on the other end and swiftly hung up. My phone met its cozy compartment in my bag and I scampered away with my groceries. Hm. Green onions. Reminds me of that Loituma girl animated wallpaper I once had. What was her name again? Orihime? Oh and that stupid bird too. Farfetch'd, as one of my staff said when I saw him playing with some handheld consoles while smoking incessantly. Hmph. Guys can be childish and oh-so-predictable when it comes to their otaku tendencies.

* * *

Great. Someone's following me. If this was Tweetur, I'll be a little happy. But no! This is certainly not the case. Careening over every corner, matching my near-frantic pace…

Even stalking me to the women's apparel! How… how… irritating! Oh, that bra and panty set was really nice and on sale too… I'll snag that sometime this week.

Crap. I've dealt with them for a lifetime and some; I won't get frazzled by this mumbo-jumbo of a freak. If he's still on my trail, I'll scream bloody murder. Wait, that's not very nice, but then, it's not nice to go Pavlovian and scoot behind the mother duck each and every single second, right?

…stupid elevator! C'mon! Open up! Open up! Nice! Now you two get the hell out of my way.

I don't care about those looks you're throwing at me. Might as well kiss my ass and I'll bitchslap you real good.

Just when I thought I was saved…

That guy…is just scary. Silver hair in a bowl cut, towering stature, vivid gray eyes… and…

My phone?

"You dropped this," he said matter-of-factly. And I thought I was going to get Tentacle Grape-d… Now that you mention it, if it was him, well, I sorta don't mind. But then, he's  _scary_.

"Why the hell didn't you say anything?" I snapped as I snatched the phone from his hand. Oops. I forgot my manners, realizing the fact that he went out of his way just to hand me my pink touchscreen mobile. Mou…

"Ah, sorry about that," he muttered, his eyes widening a bit. Hah. Take that.

…darn. I'm starting to feel bad that he seemed kinda sheepish when he scratched the back of his head. He looked damn cute too.

"Well," I fidgeted, sensing the tension disperse slightly, clutching at my phone. The heat of his palm lingered faintly and I kinda stared at his hands. They were not too big, and his callouses were a little soft, unlike some people in my former staff.

"Since you returned my phone, I must thank you," I continued, finding the buttons of the elevator entertaining. The impromptu light show concerning the ride's floor location led my mind astray for a few moments.

The Junes food court floor. That was where I was earlier. The door opened and he turned to exit this confined space. Just before the door closed and the metal room sunk to the ground level, he twisted and gave me a grin.

"Oh, that strap…"

"Huh?"

"Seems tasty."

With that, his smile remained until the shutters came to a close. Damn. I feel doki-doki all of a sudden. What's with that guy?

Okay. So he's a junior at Yasogami, judging from his uniform. I would be attending the same school in a week's time. We might be seeing each other anytime soon. Hm. It's a small world, or rather a small town after all.

Wait a freakin' second.

Silver hair, vivid gray eyes, that easy smile…

No, it must be my imagination. But then again, when it comes to scanning the crowd, my radar is accurate. My failure rate is close to nothing, but I'm blabbering too much. That part-time worker in the lighting crew whom I had a nice chat with over iced coffee and him smoking a filter cigarette... Is he pertaining to the same person?

I thought he was talking about a girl.

'Too much thinking rots the brain', or so he said. Mou… Obaa-chan might be worrying at my rather long trip just to buy ingredients for cream stew. Gotta run!

* * *

_**The Inaba Flash! (Channel 7)** _

Damn, the leader is late again. The call time was half an hour ago!

"Chie, you just got here, so why are you getting angry at Narukami-kun?" Yukiko said disapprovingly. Tch. My thoughts are spewing out of my mouth. She's  _always_  punctual. I wish I could be more like her. Bah. The Great Chie? Girly? Hm. That has a nice ring to it.

Kageyama-senpai crossed his arms and sipped idly on a lemon soda. What's with boys and lemon soda anyway? Narukami and Hanamura inhale the sour stuff everytime we gather here. That's like slurping battery acid. No thanks.

"Maybe he got side-tracked for a bit," this team's new member speculated, his teeth nipping at the end of the stiff, pink and white striped straw. "By the way, what's with the meeting all of a sudden? I skipped club and Nagase will rip my head off next time," he spoke, his tone aloof as if he could dodge the soccer team's captain without difficulty. Well, that oaf is a leaning a little on the idiotic side so he should not worry about it.

The scent of sizzling steak assaulted my nose. Chow time is coming to town. But… Who ordered?

Bakamura arrived wearing his work apron and balanced two trays in both of his hands.

"Amagi said you fancied steak for today," Narukami's doppelganger said in a shrug, putting down the trays on the table of our makeshift HQ. He then eyed Yukiko and Kageyama-senpai. "Narukami's not here yet? He told me he was arriving early. Oh, Amagi, I hope you don't mind beef tenderloin sauté. That's the leanest thing we have in the pantry."

"As long as it has less than 300 calories," Yukiko replied, looking at the strips of lean meat with bubbling gravy slathered all over it. Yummy, but damn, that won't appease my dragonesque appetite.

"Give or take fifty," Kageyama-senpai muttered, yawning in disinterest before sighing irritably. "Girls are so vain."

"Kageyama-senpai…" Hanamura stage-whispered, trying to shut the obnoxious senior up before Yukiko casts her Glare of Future Amnesia. Hell, she doesn't recall things that never held her interest, be it good or bad, eh? So that means… She's actually kinda interested in scoring with Kuma?

Bloodcurdling, I may say. Way to go, Kageyama-senpai. How rude. Better go knocking at the door first before barging in some situation that you never even had in your whole damned life. I was about to let that bastard have a piece of my mind when…

"Snrk… Hahaha!"

"Yukiko?" I swear I'm not up to check the reason why she had her Jolly Barrage after receiving an admonition from the Dark Senpai, or so I've heard from Narukami's and Hanamura's daily banter.

"I can't breathe! Hahahaha!" she continued. "He said it like that stupid side character from 'Basketbelles! Go Go Go!' yesterday!" She repeated the way Kageyama-senpai said the insult to her strife for a better physique and resumed laughing incessantly.

"Tch. Now I'm a stupid side character." Apparently, the way he said it… It lacks the heat of resentment, more like he just brushed it off. What an easygoing fellow. Very much like Narukami. And Hanamura at times too. Man, the Three Stooges are now online. I can see a pattern now…

Hanamura plopped lazily on a seat between two unoccupied ones, perhaps leaving a space for Narukami on his left and Tatsumi beside me later on. Oh, there's a little spark of whatchamacallit on senpai's eyes, but, hmph. Boys can be dumbasses for all I care.

"Getting back to business," Bakamura started, serving the Dark Senpai a sizzling half-inch steak too, just like mine, before removing his apron in one swipe. "We're here to discuss about the murder cases. Heard about that, senpai?"

"Just a little," he replied, nodding in thanks to Hanamura before saying grace and slicing a piece of meat. "Yamano, then Konishi, right?"

Tch. What an inconsiderate jerk. If he didn't see Hanamura flinch at the mention of Konishi-senpai, then he's certainly at the top of my People I Dislike list.

"R-right," Hanamura stuttered as he jumped a tad and fished his phone from his pocket. "Oh wait, aibou just emailed me. I'm going to get something real quick. Fill him in with the details, Satonaka, Amagi." With that, he fled to the inside of the Junes' second floor.

Oh yes I will, Second-in-Command Hanamura Yosuke-san.

Arching an eyebrow as he followed the back of the retreating Bakamura, he then chewed on a piece of meat before speaking. "What about those cases? If I'm not straying, this had something to do with the TV world, I suppose."

How disgusting. Whoever told this man is cool, collected, and utterly graceful, he or she is definitely mistaken.

"Exactly," Yukiko replied, recovering from her laughfest. "We somehow checked the info we gathered so far, and we could only see that the… murders…" she paused hesitantly and gave me a look before continuing. "…are connected."

I nodded seriously, knowing full well those calculating eyes that I saw back in that accursed gakuen back in Mayonaka TV. "Yamano was the first victim, and she stayed at the Amagi Inn before the gruesome incident happened."

"Pretty big news back in the city as well," Kageyama-senpai commented, chucking another piece of steak in his mouth. "So that's how Amagi and Yamano are related, na?"

"That's not all," I continued as Yukiko began to pick on her meal and started eating the bell peppers first. Ugh. How I hate those green things that taste like bitter herbs. "Konishi-senpai… She was the one who found Yamano hanging on a TV antenna." No wonder Hanamura scampered off to drift away from the topic.

Kageyama-senpai abruptly stopped devouring his now quarter-finished steak. Man, I haven't even started with mine yet! "Now that's fishier news to me. I heard that an 'A' person found the body of Yamano. So that was her, huh?"

"You guessed that right, senpai," Yukiko said meekly. "She was then spotted hanging on a telephone pole after a rainy night, just after the fog set in." Senpai gritted his teeth subtly, but hey, I saw that.

"Yo, stop harassing senpai with too much information," Tatsumi interrupted, sinking at the empty seat beside me, licking a cherry-flavored Topsicle and set a bag of animal-shaped crackers unceremoniously on the table.

"I'm cool with it, Tatsumi."

Our kouhai was flabbergasted. "You recover easily, senpai."

He chuckled it off. Somehow, it sounded a weird to my ears. Well, he's loosening up. The gossips about him not smiling in the least were definitely out of the rumor mill now. "I do try."

"Anyway, that's for Amagi-senpai's side of the story. To make things short, she was targeted because that announcer was staying in her family's inn. As for Konishi-senpai, I heard Satonaka-senpai telling you its details," he explained, giving a big bite on the frozen sweet.

"As for me, well, the senpai tried to warn me of my 'kidnapping'," he said, doing air quotes before continuing. "And they caught Yamano's pre-ordered scarf on display at our shop."

"Complicated," senpai replied simply. "And that was the only connection you have to the announcer?"

Boy, this jerk is taking it too easily.

"No," Yukiko uttered, setting her fork down. "Tatsumi Textiles is the only source of traditional fabric; from kimonos to bedsheets and all."

"Purely business? Hm," senpai pondered and took a sip of his battery acid drink. "There must be some sort of a conspiracy here."

And the buzzerbeater is here. Bravo!

"That we don't know yet. The motives are quite vague, though not that farfetched," Narukami stated in a casual tone and situated himself beside senpai. "I see that you started the meeting without me."

"Pretty much because you're late," I sneered and started to dig in my meal. Heavenly. Meat is the life! A-chaaaa!

"Hm, point taken. Sorry, I strayed off somewhere."

Kageyama-senpai grinned. He  _grinned_. Damn. The world's sucked by a black hole now. Kami-sama, have mercy. He leaned closer to Narukami's ear and whispered something I couldn't quite catch…aside from…

Yu-chan.

Pfft! The Almighty Leader? Being called Yu-chan? Oh my. He's being treated like a damn kid. Well, perhaps they're all senpai-kouhai back in the city. I'll tuck that info away for later.

"Jerk," Narukami scoffed beneath his breath and he raised his head up before picking up where he left off.

"Putting it this way, the culprit must be hiding his tracks by eliminating any possible connections with his initial masterpiece," my classmate stated in a business-like tone. "The plot is perfect. However," he paused and turned to the busy eating senpai. "You didn't seem to fit the bill  _at all_."

Senpai shuddered ever so slightly and finished the final quarter of his steak in five seconds and plastered the same aloof face in a jiffy. Fuck. Narukami can do that too, that glutton.

"From what grounds?" he queried, ending with a burp. Tch. Boys lack manners. At least he should've done that as  _discreetly_  as I did often. Tatsumi, as expected, was unfazed, and Yukiko…she's trying hard not to laugh again. Tch. Someone kill me.

The darkened features of Narukami made me realize that there is more to them than I gave them credit for. They might be close. Hm…

"You didn't stay at Amagi Inn the day you came here."

Why does it sound the leader is trying to pin something down?

"Right. I stayed at my aunt's house directly."

"Haven't visited Tatsumi Textiles?"

"Nope, haven't been there despite my knowledge of the place, Narukami. Only went to Ris- I mean Marukyu Tofu during errands a few blocks away."

Tatsumi bit the last piece of Topsicle from its stick and frowned. "Weird. I thought he even had a teeny weeny bit of connection to them, ne Naru-senpai?"

Narukami sported a pensive face. "That's what I thought too."

GROWL.

For Kami-sama's sake, did the team's original glutton just appear to be  _embarrassed_?

"Ugh, senpai," Tatsumi pushed the bag of crackers to Narukami. "Senbei?"

"Aibou! Sorry! I just had to deal with a few distractions," Hanamura bellowed and paced towards us, and returned to his seat earlier, carrying… A bento box?

"Spicy onigiri!" the idiot exclaimed, opening the box abruptly, showing rows of rice balls. Nostalgic, like the day we went to Samegawa with Nanako-chan. "Dig in, dig in!"

Is it just me? Bakamura's expression has flowers sprouting everywhere. He's oh-so-shiny and kira-kira too.

"It tastes bad," Kageyama-senpai remarked, earning wide-eyed glances from Yukiko and Tatsumi as he finished one in a blur. How he swiped that in a blink, I wouldn't like to know. Hell, even senpai's mood darkened a bit upon the return of Bakamura.

"Hey, I resent that, senpai," Hanamura pouted, sinking into his seat between Tatsumi and Narukami. He then shifted to that gleeful aura and offered the leader the box.

"It's better than last time, and you didn't cut yourself," the silverette said. See? Senpai-kouhai. Like begets like. Eating hurriedly could get you constipated. Bah. I'm a hypocrite if I'm not doing that too… Not the same as these two oafs do, for the record. "And it didn't taste like your blood. I think I got that trial piece first during Golden Week."

"Tch. You sound like I'm vampire prey or something," he admonished lightly, but then he recovered in an instant. "Alright! You guys can have it too! Just don't let aibou have less than eight. His stomach is an endless pit."

Yeah, sure. And lo, for someone who criticized Hanamura's kitchen prowess (or the lack of it from senpai's view, but he's good, I admit), he's munching on it as if nothing happened. I'm sensing a grudge here, though there's absolutely no basis on his weird behavior.

"Tch, this is getting nowhere, as far as the case is concerned," Narukami resumed in a serious tone, licking his fingers in gusto. Man, senpai is now uneasy. I wonder why.

"Let me guess," I chimed in, piecing together the info we held onto so far. "Since there is no absolute connection between senpai and the rest of the victims, could it be that they were only targeted because they were seen on TV?"

I was only speculating but…

"Satonaka? Since when did you think of it?" Hanamura squinted on me, arching an eyebrow in the process. Tch. I hate that look, Bakamura.

"Eh? Um… Just now?" Well, sorry for making such a vague conjecture. I was just saying.

"Brilliant. That might be it," Narukami shot up, leaning at the table and setting his chin on his fists. "How did you come up with that?"

Great. I'm on the spotlight now.

"I mean, hey, we all saw Yamano on TV, then there was this interview with Konishi-senpai. Now that I recall, Yukiko was interviewed on local channel too," I said sheepishly. Damn. I'm not into snatching the main event, you know.

"And I got myself tangled in a TV special," Tatsumi added a yen into the pot. "Damn, if I knew, then I should've bashed that cameraman's swag into smithereens," he spoke while licking the Topsicle all while  _chewing_  a bunny-shaped senbei.

Does senbei and onigiri mix well? Damn, that's a hell lot of rice that it's a crime.

"That leaves us with Kageyama-senpai though," Yukiko said after swallowing a bite of tenderloin. "Did he appear on TV too?" Senpai doesn't seem to follow; his expression deems that he's out of the crazy loop we are in. Good thing. That means my hypothesis is a dud.

Tatsumi was aghast. "Satonaka-senpai is right. He  _was_ on the TV before he was sent to the TV's backside. Not on a major program though."

"Only for a few seconds, and just noticeable if you squint," Narukami concluded. "At a Junes TV commercial."

"That was a few weeks ago when I first saw that," he brawler ascertained, gazing up at Narukami who was fiddling his fingers.

"Hm. I remember. They were taping some sort of customer appreciation whatever." Senpai literally grimaced. Well, he's not a camera shy person. More like a camera-angry person.

"And not to mention we saw you on a Mayonaka TV broadcast the night you got, well, practically shoved into the other world," Hanamura said to Kagayema-senpai who was a little distraught in what he had heard all along, not fazed by the blatant dislike of the person to the Junes staff making the commercial.

"But he was just a blur, right? No embarrassing things like… we had when we were thrown there," Yukiko mumbled, bowing her head down a little. Tch. Poor Yukiko…

"What do you mean?" the senpai inquired, his panic showing ever so vaguely.

"I'd rather not talk about it, senpai," Tatsumi evaded, blushing in the process.

Yukiko was silent. Tch.

"Your Shadow self will announce its presence when you get thrown inside the TV," the leader explained without much detail. Nice save, Narukami. "The broadcast only happens every midnight during a rainy weather. When we saw that, it's definitely a rescue mission before the next rainy night. Or else…"

Hanamura had this grim face as he spoke solemnly. "You will definitely end up like one of the victims – hung on an antenna or a telephone pole. Tch. We were kinda desperate when we tried to rescue you, senpai."

"I-I should be grateful then," Kageyama-senpai stammered, staring at Narukami's hands. I feel bad for you, now that you're experiencing the shock of it all first hand. "Thanks everyone. Especially Hanamura."

"No biggie!" Hanamura piped in, trying to lighten the situation; all the while Tatsumi, Yukiko and I were making small smiles of acknowledgement. That wasn't so hard. "That was the quickest rescue mission ever. A difference of only hours from the kidnapping incident? Senpai was never in there for more than a day. Who would've thought?"

Narukami fell into silence for a moment before spouting out the start of the dreaded conversation.

"That night, if you might recall, was it raining?"

Kageyama shot up from his train of thought and answered. "Pretty much. That was around seven in the evening, I think. Everything was… Well, my brain's fuzzy when I try to remember that. Good thing I got my gloves delivered that night. I haven't seen anything after I got thwacked."

"That really doesn't help much, but at least we know he was assaulted at his house…" Hanamura mentally noted that piece of information for safekeeping. Man, I give him credit for remembering even the most mundane of things.

"And man, he showed up on TV the same night," the music lover commented. "You know? Spiky hair, striking features… It was Narukami who figured that out instantaneously."

The Dark Senpai remained silent.

"But then, maybe… The TV didn't show his Shadow because there seems to be a pattern there. First, a blurry figure appears. Then the Shadow appears–"

Narukami interrupted his doppelganger. "The night  _after._  Since it was foggy at night the following day, we might not see the Shadow in the first place," he said pensively. "Police cars and a school PA regarding another dead student might have been the biggest news shit the following morning."

"Was it that bad?" Kageyama-senpai had the audacity to be mellow.

"Would you like it delivered to you in another way, Ha-I mean, Kageyama-senpai?"

The senior took a deep breath and seemed to have composed himself. "Actually, if it's you, it's good any way."

Huh?

He shrugged and grabbed another of Hanamura's onigiri and returned to his obnoxious self. "What do we do now?"

The Doppel Duo exchanged knowing glances and soon, the leader produced a pair of silver-framed glasses that have rounded rectangular lenses and held in towards the senior.

"We would like you to join the team. Help us solve this case and end this series of murders."

Tch. I don't like the look of this.

"If I refuse?"

What the fuck? Narukami's hand clenched underneath the table. Shit. It's the first time I'll be hearing 'No" as an answer to this kind of situation. Hell, Tatsumi even  _volunteered_. Things are  _so_  not looking up well. We even had this meeting just to convince senpai to join our cause.

"Then we respect your decision."

No way! He even has a Persona to boot! Yukiko closed her eyes as if expecting this, Tatsumi was silently gritting his teeth, and Hanamura just eyed his partner in defeat as if saying 'I told you so' and held Narukami's arm.

I was about to rebutt when senpai chortled in amusement. Huh?

"Here I was thinking that you would put up a fight in case I didn't accept your proposal. You never change," he said with mirth. Tch. Why is it that this loathsome guy can be utterly gorgeous when he does that? Even Tatsumi and Yukiko are staring. Whoa. And Hanamura looks normal. What gives?

"I won't run away like I did last time. And I promise, that would be the last time I'll  _ever_  turn you down." With that, he swiped those glasses from his hand and wore it. Darn. He just levelled-up in the looks department with that strict sensei look of his. Whoa. And Narukami's turning red.

"Anyway, it's a senpai's duty to watch over his kouhai. For your information, this senpai will certainly be a failure if his juniors will end up dead in the breaking news. I would do anything not to allow that."

"Welcome to the team then," the leader replied simply, relief lacing his voice. Wait. Is he even okay?

"Are you feeling well, Narukami-kun," Yukiko asked, judging that the leader as a little ill. He coughed up a bit, earning an amused gaze from the new team member.

"Ugh, allergies I suppose…" he said weakly, sneaking a glance at his partner-appointed partner.

"Damn, aibou! Sorry! I kinda forgot to refill my emergency antihistamines. Let's crash the pharmacy near the grocery section! Be back in ten minutes guys!"

They went off in a blur, Hanamura literally dragging the poor leader in tow. What anime had that scene again? Tch. That escape tactic was much like Enma-o's Traesto spell, huh?

And what did senpai mutter? Something about not giving up and… What? Lovebirds?

The Three Stooges lost me. Damn idiots.

* * *

_**The Emperor's New… Make-up Kit! (Channel 4)** _

Shit. Stalking is my weakest asset. Tell me why are we doing this shit in the first place? Tch. Let's get this done and over with.

"The hell? Are we going inside or what?" Kage-senpai snorted, obviously peeved at the scenario we are in. Luckily, the sea of people seemed to thin out at a glance of senpai's blatant aura of darkness. Tch. I wasn't even  _that_  effective, and he wasn't breaking a sweat. I'm sorta jealous.

Okay, so Kujikawa is the target. Not surprising. She was all over the TV yesterday. When I got home, her press conference was replayed. Damn. Must be the reason for all that buzz; people everywhere were glued to their phones and watching the said interview. Duh. I admit she's pretty, but hello, she's just someone going back to her hometown. I can't understand people who are clingy to some sort of idol. Meeh. Hana-senpai literally has hearts over his eyes. I would've laughed if it was a better day. However, with a certain idol being the next victim, I believe it will be bigger news if she was found out hung up on some random high place. Not that we will allow that to happen. We've got time now. Rain's falling aplenty two weeks from today. Heck, we can even prevent the kidnapping in the first place if we move quickly. Apparently, Naru-senpai and Hana-senpai are having issues.

"Tch, they're out of tofu," Naru-senpai remarked, his thumb gesturing at the door of Marukyu Tofu. Pretty obvious.

"Well, let's just barge in and see what happens," Kage-senpai hissed and aimed to go inside, leaving the queasy Hana-senpai and the silver leader trailing behind him. Maa… Okay, I give in too.

"We're out of tofu," the girl in pigtails said, her expression tired and very much telling us to fuck off and bring our business somewhere else. So this is the 'idol' that you are yapping about, Hana-senpai?

"Ah, you're really Risette~"

The fuck? Stop drooling, senpai.

"That's me, alright."

"We're here to buy tofu~"

She scratched her cheek in annoyance. "Don't you know how to read? We're out of the stuff you're  _dying_  for."

Then something in her clicked.

"Huh? You're the man from the other day. And Haru-san? What brings you here?" Whoa. She lit up a bit. Good tidings?

"Yes. That's right." Naru-senpai is as smooth as ever.

"Ah. It's been a while, Rise," Kage-senpai chimed, curt and proper. Man, going from all rash to silky? He's like having dual personalities. Can the senpai be a little more normal?

Hana-senpai groaned. "Not fair, aibou! You already met her and you didn't even tell me! And same goes to you too, Kageyama-senpai. Why are you on first name basis with Risette?"

"We go ways back," the dark senpai shrugged and spoke back to the 'idol'. "It's been almost a year, was it?"

"More like a decade. I missed our late-night chats," Kujikawa replied fondly.

"Maa… And having a good time back then too…" Hana-senpai… Please take your fucking mind off the gutter for a while.

"That was during shooting breaks," Kage-senpai brushed off, crossing his arms with that regal air of his.

"Well, I'm sorry but we're out of tofu as of the moment," Kujikawa repeated in a more composed manner. Hana-senpai looked relieved. His shoulders weren't stiff as it were earlier.

"We'll take ganmodoki then," the team leader requested.

"Settling for something with almost no tofu then?" the idol said with a finger on her lips. "We still have a few of them, I believe. How many?"

"Six, I guess."

Soon, the girl turned and went towards the area where almost non-tofu stuff was located, Kage-senpai hot on her trail, their short journey littered with small talk. Nice diversion tactic.

Naru-senpai has this 'I knew this is a good idea' look in his eyes. Tch. I'm kinda itching to ask.

"Ne, senpai. The plan's to get tofu, right? Ganmodoki's a little bit expensive."

Naru-senpai just whispered. "Hanamura's allergic to anything made of soya. At least he could eat it with a little help from those anti-allergies we got the other day."

So that explains the relief. Man, Naru-senpai's really a considerate jerk, huh?

"Don't tell Hanamura I told you. He'll be damned if somebody knew. Plus, I'll never hear the end of it so shut it, will you?"

Did he just threaten me?

Oh. Maybe he foresaw that Hana-senpai will have his head on the clouds during this mission. How good can he be on reading people? He even had Kage-senpai wrapped around his finger…at times. More often than not, it was Kage-senpai who irks the leader to the highest level, much to Hana-senpai's rather subtle signs of displeasure.

These three senpai of mine… They're, ugh, complicated. I don't know why but they just are.

"I'm glad we came! Mission CLEAR!"

Ugh, Hana-senpai…

"We still have work to do, you know," I reminded him. Well, it's like speaking to a freaking rock or a fucking parrot with selective hearing.

"Work to do? What work?"

See what I mean?

"Have you noticed anything lately?" Naru-senpai asked all of a sudden, effectively knocking Hana-senpai from his fanboy mode and stopping conversation of Kujikawa and Kage-senpai.

"Ah right, right!"

"Have you noticed anything strange lately, Rise?" the spikyhead senpai seconded, leaning at a vacant wall nearby.

"Strange? Like a stalker?"

She's kinda shrugging it off. Man, idols have their bad times, it seems. She made it sound as if she didn't really mind those kinds of people.

"How about Mayonaka TV?"

She turned to face us, a pack of ganmodoki in tow. "You mean the program last night?"

"Eh? You watched it?" Hana-senpai was appalled. Duh. If you're the victim, wouldn't it be embarrassing if you saw yourself doing weird stuff on-screen? But, hey, she just wore a swimsuit last night. Nothing unusual. My program on the said channel was a total humiliation on my part when I heard of it from the other members of the team. Damn.

"Yes. I heard the rumor," she replied and handed the ganmodoki stash to Naru-senpai. "However, that girl was not me."

"Huh?" Now why are you so disappointed, Hana-senpai?

"I've never worn a swimsuit in a promotional video, and besides, my chest isn't that big."

"Oh, okay?" That's new. Hana-senpai not being excited hearing about women's boobies? Nah. It must be that memory of his. Perhaps one look and he recognized that they weren't the same numbers?

"The person shown on that program might get kidnapped," Naru-senpai set the bomb off. Not the one to mince words, eh?

"Huh?"

"Kinda hard to fuckin' follow, na? Trust me, we aren't lying or pulling your chain," I added, hoping to convince this girl.

Kujikawa seemed thoughtful for a moment and gazed at Kage-senpai. He was so serious too.

Fuck. Just when we thought things are going out smoothly…

"Ah. Excuse me!"

Shit.

"Ah, well, hey." Stop looking so damn sheepish, Hana-senpai. And tch, Naru-senpai! That averting gaze thing might look cute but that won't help us in any way. This is Dojima-san we're dealing with now.

"What are you guys doing here?" senpai's uncle asked rather demandingly. Well, maybe because I'm around. Sorry to be friends with your nephew, Dojima-san, but I ain't backing down. "Hm? Tatsumi Kanji…"

"Tch." Now eat that.

The silver senpai exchanged glances with Hana-senpai and replied. "We're just buying ganmodoki. Here," he gave a wad of a thousand yen bill to Kujikawa and nodded. "Keep the change."

He then made his nice exit. Cool and collected as usual.

"If you'll excuse us. Well chat later, Rise," Kage-senpai grinned and followed me out of the place.

"Sure thing, Haru-san. Thanks for your business. Please visit us again."

A few paces later, we found ourselves at the bus stop near the Moel gas station.

"So, what now?" I asked, scratching my head out of nothing better to do.

"We'll just see how it goes, as planned," Hana-senpai replied. "For now, who's up for a ganmodoki-devouring session? My place."

* * *

Damn. That was close! Good thing that all-out attack worked. The stalking yielded results so far, and hell, I'm thinking that this is over now. Whew. Having a nice run after a beef bowl makes a nice workout. Tch. What was Kage-senpai doing, just leaning at a lamppost? Maa. It doesn't matter, we caught him and he'll be at the precinct for questioning. Though… He didn't seem very happy about it.

Hana-senpai was now busy ringing up Naru-senpai to announce that it's safe to come back by Omotesando and the two girls are finishing what's left in their bowls.

"Ne, Tatsumi."

"Huh? Yep, senpai?"

"That man. I don't think he's the culprit."

Hm? How can you tell?

"He looks suspicious. And he even said he's a hardcore Risette fan too," I tried explaining, but his expression just changed from pensive to a worried one.

"Thing is, I've worked with one of Rise's production staff, and sure, there were a lot of die-hard fans who barged into the set violently," he noted, fishing his pocket for a cigarette and lit it. The hell? He's not even in the right age to smoke! And he's a player of the soccer team too!

"I know it's bad, but it's actually a force of habit after…" he hesitated continuing that line and thus created a new one after taking a long drag. "Well, they're pretty determined and will do anything just to see Rise in person, but harmless nonetheless. It's not that I'm jinxing it, but this might not be the end of it yet."

How true. When I saw Mayonaka TV the next night, I thought I'd call up Naru-senpai and tell him at least.

His line was busy.

Someone's eager, huh? Well, I just received an email from Naru-senpai around four in the morning.

Later after school, it's go time.

* * *

Kuma's just like me too. He's trying to understand himself. Despite being such a stupid bear, he manages his fur well (How CUTE!) and he strives to be useful to the team. After all, he's our correspondent in the this world.

Well, not that I approve of him scoring with the two girls. That's plain fucking stupid. Oh, Satonaka agreed. My bad.

Nah. We're not leaving you alone, Kuma. You're as good as anyone in the team. Just hang in there, will you?

"Kuma, is Kujikawa Rise here?" Naru-senpai held out a pink phone with a dried-fruit shortbread cookie strap. Appetizing.

"Kujikawa Rise?"

Somehow, we ended up in a huge, magenta-colored place saying Marukyu. This fucking place isn't the tofu shop. Actually, it screams of girls, girls and MORE girls. Ah, the horror. Come to think of it, my bath house was a hell lot more manageable than this. Marukyu Striptease. Yup. That's the real deal – in this world, anyway.

"Is this the place?" Satonaka-senpai asked, eyeing the place in wide-eyed wonder. "Pretty high-end to me."

"Ne, aibou! Is this the one you have in resort towns? A club-slash-inn with lots of girls?" Hana-senpai said giddily. Tch. How unsightly.

Naru-senpai replied with a sigh. "Right. We had one of those in the city where senpai and I used to live in."

"So you –" he turned towards Kage-senpai who was trying on his new Mayonaka TV lenses. "Um, never mind."

…okay?

"Chie! Our inn isn't like this!"

"Of course, I know."

"Let's get in! We've got Risette to rescue~!"

Someone's eager to ogle some dancers and stuff. Well, if it would man me up a little, then why not? Count me in.

"So this is how this thing works…" Kage-senpai said in awe. Well, duh. If you haven't noticed, we're all wearing glasses too. Right now, he's like a child who received a new toy.

"His mind works that way. He'll go down to earth in a few seconds. Relish this blackmail material for a moment." Naru-senpai hid a chuckle and failed miserably.

"The hell are you laughing at, Narukami?"

"Pfft. Nothing."

"Tch."

* * *

One thing I must admit: I love the deep bass. I can totally see Hana-senpai tapping his feet to the beat. His sacred phones are down as hard evidence. Seems like everyone's having a good time whacking out Shadow ass. However, things are going too easy to me. Take-mizakuchi didn't even need to lash out an insane physical attack just to get through.

"Oh, this is refreshing," Amagi-senpai cooed, sipping a red concoction in a bar glass. And she sniffed the rim of the glass too. "No alcohol. I think we'll be okay."

Free cocktails, eh?

Tch. Would it be better if you sniffed the damn thing first  _before_  you even tried to fucking drink it?

"That's right! I'm so downing this!" Satonaka-senpai copied the fan-wielding senpai and chugged along her green fizzy drink.

Where the hell did everyone get that?

"Tatsumi, this is yours," Naru-senpai handed me a low glass with a drink smelling like cola and something akin to currants.

"Kanpai for our successful rescue later!" Hana-senpai bellowed, raising his orangey drink up high. Everyone followed suit except Kage-senpai and me. We hesitantly did what the others were enacting. When in Inaba, act like a denizen of Inaba.

"Kanpai!"

Ugh. That was lame, but I had to be honest, the drink did well in recovering the miniscule stamina that I lost earlier.

"Ladies and gentlemen!"

Tch. That unharmonic voice. About time…

"Are you enjoying your stay so far? Drinks are all on the house! By the way, here comes the main event everyone is waiting for! Thank you very much for choosing Ma-ru-kyu Strip-tease~ as your one-stop place to satisfy your desires!"

The whole area dimmed and the spotlight went on, training at the lone pole at the stage that appeared out of nowhere. The fuck? Oh, we're in another world. These things can happen anytime. Might as well get used to this. And Hana-senpai? Care to have a tissue? Your nose is bleeding big time now.

"I, Kujikawa Rise, am ready to… Bare. It. All. For. You!" the Shadow Kujikawa entered the stage through the lush magenta curtain; applause and catcalls from the invisible audience booming inside the, ugh, club.

"Now, let's have our collection of beautiful ladies that are only here for your eyes!"

Whoa, whoa, whoa. Five Risettes? All in different costumes? This might be some Nendoroid Heaven – or Hell for some.

"Mou! I could recognize them all!" Hana-senpai drooled and enumerated each of the costume-clad Kujikawa clones. One thing's for sure: I don't like their fucking eyes. Reminds me of my Shadow. Not that I'm angry at Take-mizakuchi, but I'd rather have him just stay as he is right now.

_"What did you just say, Kanji?"_

Oh dear. He's speaking through my mind? Don't remind me of that, thank you very much.

_"It doesn't matter. I love you, as always. Now, that one's a Shadow, obviously. Looks really fragile though. Wanna let off some steam?"_

Nah. Can't do that yet. Leader's orders.

_"Okay. I dig. Be careful. I've got a gut feeling that this won't end up pretty. Don't mess up. I'll pop out when you call me."_

And he came back into the recesses of my brain. While Hana-senpai is busy enjoying the view of those girls doing the True Story concert thingy as an opening number, I can't help notice the uneasy look the other senpai were holding. Apprehension tinges the air with a hint of foreboding. Even Kuma, as jolly as he is, looked agitated.

The production number ended and the invisible crowd went on, grating my ears in agony. "Oh, we have a special guest tonight! How about we give a round of applause to…"

Another spotlight. Damn.

There she was; the one were bound to save.

"Kujikawa Rise-chan!"

"Stop…" the real Kujikawa pleaded, her voice tired. Man, how awful. She's still in her work clothes, so she must be kidnapped while tending the tofu shop. "Stop this nonsense…"

"Ara? But this is what you wanted, right? You want me to bare it all?" Shadow Kujikawa taunted, making those fucking inappropriate moves with the pole she was dancing around earlier. "Or would you rather have the sporty type or the sensei type to do it for you?"

"No… I don't want any of it… Please stop…"

"Will you continue to deny yourself? I am  _you_. Your desires are  _my_  desires," she giggled, teasing the tied knot of her skimpy bikini bottom.

"No! Don't show them that!"

"Mou… As long as they're paying and they don't touch us dancers, then it's fine, ne?"

Argh! The audience demands her to strip now. The chants of 'STRIP!' are getting louder and faster. Tch.

"She's near her breaking point," Kage-senpai said softly, though his anger is imminent. "Was I like this when I was fighting my Shadow?"

"Pretty much, yeah."

"I must've been quite a handful," senpai muttered, eyes still on the stage, his face wincing in distress.

"Now, can you find out the real Rise-chan?" the scantily-clad Shadow taunted, causing Kujikawa to shrivel further.

"I'm Kujikawa Rise!"

"I'm… Kujikawa Rise…"

"Kujikawa Rise? That's me!"

"Hmph. Kujikawa Rise. The hell's your problem?"

"My name? It's Kujikawa Rise. So, shall we play? Teehee~"

"I don't know! Who's the real me?!"

Then all the clones stated in unison.

"I am the real Kujikawa Rise. You're me. And I'm obviously you," Kujikawa-kage sneered.

"No! That's not true!"

"Ara? I'm sick of living the clichéd life who takes everything with a moe-moe-kyun smile and letting everyone think that I am definitely cool with it." She untied the strap of her yellow bikini and hell, I think I'll get a nosebleed. "How about I show the audience who I really am?"

Hell then broke loose. The crisp denial signalled the real start of this battle. That whole club raid thing was just a warm up. Tch. Take-mizakuchi, run wild.

"You… You are  _not_  me!"

"Kujikawa!" sensei screamed, summoning Izanagi and running towards the stage. We followed suit, only to be held back by a ton of security guard Shadows. Tch. A myriad of club bouncers, eh? I'll mow them down!

A sinister giggle reverberated in the club, a strong aura enveloping all of the Kujikawa clones before they all melted and joined forces with the one dancing languidly at the pole.

"That is right. I am a  _Shadow_. The  _true_ self. Now… see the  _real_  me! Oops, and you'll pay for extra service if you lay a hand on us… House rules, ne?"

Fuck. We're in deep shit.

* * *

_**I'm A Falling Star (Channel 17)** _

Oh no… What am I going to do? I'm just a useless bear, only capable of navigating people and recording Shadow weaknesses. I'm lucky if I could get a glimpse of a weakness but that happens once in a Shadow-less day. And that doesn't happen quite often.

"Argh! How come?" sensei bursted, changing Personas but still not able to hit that oddly-colored Shadow.

"You won't be able to hit me~" Shadow Rise cooed and threw a Hama-laced projectile to Enma-o.

Now, even Haru is down! All I can sense is that this Shadow brings out a stream of light every single time sensei and the rest of the gang bullies her. Kuuu~ Am I really that useless? Why can't I have the power to fight?

"Sensei! Haru needs a round of Dia! He'll be in a beary critical condition if he gets hit again!" I frantically commanded, gauging the physical condition of the new member.

"I'm on it, Kuma!" Yuki-chan screamed and sent Konohana Sakuya to rain Media on them. How dependable. I wish I could be like you. Maybe then we could 'score'.

I'll try my beary best too, even if it might be all for naught.

"Chie-chan! Try hitting the Shadow with Skewer!"

The martial arts girl nodded and summoned Tomoe to hit Kujikawa's Shadow with her light-bladed, what was that again? Naginata. Right. Sensei told me that is was called as such just because. Why? He didn't know either, so I'll leave it at that.

"Too slow~ Teehee~" And the Shadow counterattacked with an accurately-executed Agi spell. No! Chie-chan!

…she's down… Even Kanji too, and Yuki-chan…

"Guard her," sensei pleaded as he set the unconscious Kujikawa behind me at the soft, um, couch was it? "Can you at least do that?"

I nodded, but my confidence is not beary high as of the moment. I'm doubting myself. Can I really do this?

Sensei thanked me and returned to the fray, switching his Personas to shield everyone's weaknesses in order for them to continue fighting. In the end, I'm a pathetic piece of junk; Yosuke is quite the agile-footed spellcaster; Yuki-chan boasts firepower and recovery; Chie-chan makes those really nice ice pillars and shatters them in a blink; Kanji is a bulldozer, ramming against Shadow mobs without difficulty; even Haru, though I only saw him fight just now, is a powerhouse of Mudo and almighty spells; and add sensei to the list, his Persona Changes and Fusions are outstanding…

Who am I fooling? I can't do a single thing outside navigation and blabbering vague information! This might be the feeling of what Yosuke said before: "This sucks."

Oh no! Everyone's  _down_. Those tell-tale signs of, whatchamacallit… Oh, static. Their Personas had taken quite a beating and the items in my stash were all used up…

"Sorry! No time for an encore~! Finishing blow, here we go!"

"Haru! Can Enma-o cast Traesto this last time?" I screamed, knowing that it is only our way out.

"I… can't…" he replied in between pants. "I will pass out before I even complete that… Sorry… I'm not too dependable. I'm a failure in this whole senpai-kouhai stuff…"

Don't say that! You're beary awesome! You just didn't have enough strength to cast that now…

Kuuuuu~ If cheering them on could return even some of their energy, then I'll cheer with all my might… However, this is the beary limit of their ability…

"Kuma… Take Kujikawa and run to the exit."

Sensei…

"No," I shook my head, squinting my cute eyes in the process. "I'm not leaving you alone! Everyone said that they'll never leave me, so how can you even say that I just ditch and abandon you to die here? No. It's definitely a  _no_. That's beary heartless of you, sensei."

"Kuma-san…"

Oh, Rise-chan is awake. Thank goodness she had come to.

"Please, stop. Don't do this anymore…"

The Shadow aimed that rainbow cannon at us. What am I supposed to do… No…

"Saa, wanna go to Heaven first, you bitch?"

"I'll hold my ground. We agreed on this, right? I'll find myself along with you. I'll keep that promise."

Why is my feet moving on its own?

That's it. Power. I can feel it. So this is the power of  _conviction_. After all, I lived in this world for how long, I don't know. Or I never even recalled or thought of it. But then, I'm beary sure that in this world, I can be the boss. It's my turf. I should've known better that I have the upper hand in this. I'm scared, but I won't falter.

"Eh? What's this? It's going beyond proportion!" the Shadow said in panic. Are you scared to your wit's end?

There's no way you're going to hurt sensei and them anymore. I won't allow it. I swear it on my beautiful fur.

"I must eliminate you first!"

…I told you it's no use. The multi-colored blast never even singed my beautiful coat. Hmph. You  _cannot_  do it. I'm far more superior than you think. You just came out from poor Rise-chan.  _I_  lived in this world much longer than you imagine. Can you at least comprehend that?

"Kuuu~ No one hurts my friends!"

A bright, white light. I think I'm going to faint. Sensei… I hope I managed to meet your expectation.

* * *

When I came to, everyone was looking at me. Yuki-chan? Chie-chan? Even Yosuke? They're all teary eyed, well except for Kanji, Haru and sensei.

"Kuma, you idiot! Don't you know how worried we are?" Kanji scoffed but his eyes tell me the otherwise.

"I give you the credit for being strong," Haru clicked his tongue and looked away.

"Man, I thought you got evaporated back there," Yosuke said with a wry smile. Kuuuu~

"Sorry I worried you. Did I help? I just wished to keep you safe so…"

"Quit explaining. That was heartless of me, sending you off on your own earlier. We were really grateful for what you did," sensei beamed at me.

"You were so cool back there!" Chie-chan…

"I guess you could score with me…" Yuki-chan…

Lucky! I'm golden now! I can bask in that smile with my full, furry–

"What happened to my fur?! And why am I, um, two-dimensional, as Yosuke taught me?" Fortunately, I can somehow expand my vocabulary thanks to them. As a bear with a few words, an additional lesson was actually quite handy in situations like this. But my beautiful fur…

"Kuma-san, thank you for saving me. I'm sorry my other self did quite a number on you," Rise-chan mumbled apologetically.

"I know how it hurts, not to know who you really are. I guess were on the beary same boat," I said softly, flailing my arms. Ugh, how ugly… They're like paper banners… "You don't have to do it alone, you know. Let's ourselves together!" With that, I copied Yosuke's trademark thumbs-up sigh.

"Kuma-san…"

"After all, we've got sensei and the rest of the gang to help us out, so hang in there, na?"

Teehee~ I should be proud; I delivered a typical Yosuke line all by myself!

"Sorry again, everyone. I'm glad you all fought for my sake," Rise-chan mumbled, bowing low at the Inaba side of the team.

"Don't worry about it," sensei said with a smile. How cool! I'm so copying that next!

"It's been a while since I last heard that… Thank you… And… Kuma-san. Your fur…"

"Oh? I think it will be back to normal, I guess."

She stepped to the stage and gazed at the skimpy-clothed Shadow of hers. So that was a bikini. It's the first time I laid my eyes on one. No, scratch that. I had seen that when we entered here.

"I'm sorry for neglecting you. I was too busy trying to find myself… However, that put me on the wrong track. Now, I realized that no matter how hard I search, the real me isn't anywhere. It just doesn't exist.  _All_ of you: that sporty girl, the cheerleader, the tsundere, the sexy-acting swimsuit belle, even Risette and I… No matter how different, they are simply born out of me. I apologize for taking so long to accept you. You are me."

"Then, let's show the world who we are – in style!" the Shadow said in a cute manner and winked before transforming into a lady-like Persona with a number of metal plates and rods replacing her face. Quite odd, but then again, Personas  _really_  look odd.

"The real me doesn't exist?"

"Anou, Kuma, what is that?" Haru glared at something behind me. Eh? That's only a bear, vacant, almost trashed warzone.

"I sense something strong," Rise-chan winced, clutching at her apron. Dazed looks from the team made me turn my not-so-cute, flat self to face…

"Oyoyoyoyoy! Who are you?! You're not a beary cute bear to me!"

"Is that… Kuma's Shadow?"

I can't believe what I'm hearing. Chie-chan, you sure about this? And his voice is scary too…

"Real? Me? Utter nonsense."

Oh no! What is this feeling? Everything is being covered up by mist! I can't really see much, but I kind of figured this is yet another fight… Can't he give a bear his beauty rest?

"The truth is beyond your reach, perpetually shrouded in fog."

For all I know, I shouldn't have one of this, but…

"I am a Shadow. The  _true_  self."

Chie-chan! Be careful! You're pulling my ear too hard! It might fall off…

The team jumped off the stage in a flash, getting away from my  _Shadow_. He's wrecking everything to pieces! Sensei! What's happening?!

"Though you span the muddled waters and the gloom to get even the tiniest grasp of something, there is absolutely no means to know. That is the hard truth."

"Oi! The hell!" Yosuke screamed, holding onto the remains of a metal riser just like everybody else. I'm just flapping in the wind that tries to pull us in.

"He's going to suck us in!"

Chie-chan! Hang on!

"Tell me… What is the sense in yearning, searching, aiming for the truth?"

Sensei! I'm pulled in! Help!

"How will you find something if you not know what are you searching for? Pointless, isn't it? Such masochists, suffering so much in the quest for the truth."

That voice is so faraway now… I wonder how it still reached me.

"For the last time, I will grant you one truth."

What would that be?

"You will all die here."

* * *

It's foggy. And wet. Oh my fur's back again! Thank goodness. Unfortunately…

"You're here too! Go away!"

This Shadow's voice loomed all around the place that it gives me the beary creeps. "You will vanish to nothingness here."

And soon, the water started to swallow me. Not good! I want to go back to sensei and the others! My 'scoring' scene hasn't even started! I refuse!

"No!"

"You are hollow. Empty."

"The hell are you saying?! I can't follow you!" Drats. I am totally in Kanji's body now. He looked so cool too. Plus, he almost scored with Yosuke and sensei. No! Not now.

"You have no lost memories. You are but a mere –"

That does it. I'm never letting you decide for me!

"Now you shut up! I'll search for the answer on my own! Well, with sensei and the others too," I said with conviction I found in myself recently. How dare you put the words into my mouth.

"There is no answer."

"I'll look for it anyway!" I paused, playing a staring game with this pathetic copycat of mine. "I may be hollow as Yosuke and sensei found out when they first came here, but I'm not a useless bear! I don't wanna leave sensei! There's Yosuke too, and Chie-chan, Yuki-chan, Kanji, Haru, and even Rise-chan! I refuse to disappear! I promised them to see this through!"

Hah. Take that.

"Then, would you put yourself in more anguish in your search for the answer?"

"Damn right!"

The freaking Shadow sighed.

"Your choice is out of the expanse of my comprehension."

* * *

"Eh? I'm back?"

The team gathered to my side. Oh, how I love being with them. Everytime they're here, things are just fun no matter how grim the situation might seem. I might've become such a masochist as them. I really don't mind though.

"Kuma! You still breathing in there?" Yosuke wailed, poking on my fur.

"Oh no! It looked so fluffy in there too. It's back to being flat again… How disgraceful…"

"At least he seems okay," Haru put a foot sideward and placed his center of balance on it. Too bad, I can't do that with my stubby legs…

Chie-chan chuckled weakly. Not funny! What if your fur got flattened out like a crepe? Oh, I'll ask sensei to bring me one when he gets back here.

"Well, Kuma has some skeletons hiding in his closet, huh?"

I gazed at the dilapidated carpeting of the club and mumbled. "I don't know who I am. For a while, I thought that there will be no answer… But I'm here! I certainly exist! I lived here for the longest time I could imagine."

"I'm right here with you."

Rise-chan…

"Let's search for our answers together. Please take care of me from here on out!"

Sensei grinned at me. How… touching. "How many times do we need to tell you that you're not alone?"

"That settles it. We'll help you figure it out! After that, you could score all you want," Yosuke seconded, reaping a smack from Yuki-chan's fan and a sweatdropping expression from the other members. Ouch. That would hurt…

"You guys… I truly am a lucky bear…"

Huh? Tears? Since when did I have these? I'm so happy but why am I crying?

I faced the – no,  _my_  Shadow, the hollow part of me and accepted it. Words aren't really required, ne? After all, he's me. He ought to know that much as I do.

…and hey, that fellow looked way cooler than me, lifting that, um, metal sausage stuck with metal carrot strips (I think…) and wearing an equally badass yellow cape.

"Is this… my Persona?"

It turned into a card and twirled in front of me before fading, its warmth washing over me. XVII? The hell does that mean? Oh, and it has a cute smiling star on it too. I guess I'll settle with that. Cute things for kawaii bears like me.

"I feel great power in it. Looks pretty dependable. A Bufu spellcaster type, eh? Cool," Rise-chan remarked. So that's what Kintoki-douji is.

"You just wait! If he's cool, I'll be chilling! So what if he's strong to wield that metal hotdog with metal Inaba trout fins? I can certainly do that too!" I exclaimed, raising my fist in the air

"Snrk… Ahahaha! That's an airplane, Kuma-san!" Yukiko said in between chuckles, the whole team divided into groaning, sighing and giving me pitiful looks. Hey, I resent that!

I see. Airplane, it is.

Though it certainly is unappetizing (I can't eat metal, duh…), it still looks like a real hard frankfurter to me…

* * *

_**O-sake! (Channel… ugh… *pukes*)** _

The night was foggy, its cold wisps shrouding the expanse of Inaba. The chill was eminent, but the Fool and the Magician are at ease. Hanamura's room smelled like, well, vanilla and potato crisps. It was hurriedly cleaned up too, as if expecting someone to stay over judging by the dirty articles of clothing seemingly kicked unceremoniously under the bed. Not that Narukami minded; although a bit of a neat freak, this was a typical guy's room, so he had no qualms about it. After rescuing Kageyama, the two settled for…

"Alright aibou! Let's bring out the good stuff!" Hanamura piped in and twisted the sake's cap with ease, its satisfying clicks notified the breaking the safety seal.

Narukami had this conundrum.

"Do you think it really is a good idea?"

The brunette set the bottle a little harshly on his coffee table. "Man, this is the  _best_  idea! We're stuck here until the fog lifts in the morning, we finished our fastest dungeon run ever, and we got treated by Kageyama-senpai too!"

"Well, if you put it that way…"

Hanamura opted to prick the Fool for a bit. "Ne, backing down on me, aibou?"

The silverette rolled his eyes. "As if, you retard. One who throws up first loses."

"So, that's how it is," the Magician's eyes gleamed with confidence. "What are we betting on?" he asked, a lot of things running through his mind.

Narukami shrugged and got the remote to turn the TV on, as if he was in his own room. Hanamura's space is cozy, carpeted too. It's more like a bachelor's pad, complete with a mini-fridge and a personal bathroom. To him, this felt like his room back in the city.

"Whatever comes to your mind. I won't lose anyway."

Hanamura hummed for a few seconds and then lifted a croquette near his partner's face. "The wager will be… the things we never ever talked about. As in ever."

Izanagi's other stiffened but then relaxed, knowing full well that he's got a high alcohol tolerance compared to the music lover. "I'm in."

"Yosh! Should we begin?" the brunette said huskily, causing the other to gulp dryly.

* * *

 

"Eh? You finished FFX-2? Man, that's so, well, girly, but hell, Paine's the shit!" Hanamura bellowed, downing his sake cup a few moments after. They're down to their third bottle and they pretty much loosened up to the extent that they were swerving from one topic to another.

Narukami chuckled. "They were very much like Sailormoon, with all that transformation jazz. Fuck, I even turned the animation off because it messes up my speed runs." Another sake cup and a bite of leftover tonkatsu hit the silverette's spot in inebriated glee.

"Whoa, you literally watched that?"

"I was forced. The Home Economics club had a marathon of that during my last school festival in the city."

The Magician laughed hard. "I swear I thought you had a girly side when I heard that. Hahaha! Man, I even thought you were too vain. Hell, that bowl cut of yours must be too hard to manage," he continued, drinking the sake the other had poured him, running his hand through his brown locks in the process.

"Not really. I was born with it. However, it kinda irked me when I tried to look like this," Narukami said, fumbling with something in his pocket until he fished out his old leather wallet and opened it, showing the photo flap to Hanamura.

"Pfft! Dude! You look badass with all that spikes! How the hell can your hair be divinely tame like that?"

"Idiot… I think I told you I was born with it. That's only possible when you have your hair layered and applied a dab of hair wax. Cloud Strife's hair is almost impossible to achieve, and it's totally bullshit if someone just stepped into class like that and claimed it was inborn," the Fool explained lengthily before downing a sake shot.

Hanamura chewed on a semi-tough steak-filled croquette and "I feel ya, man. I would go WTF mode if someone told me that. Where do they think we are in? An RPG?"

"Now that you mentioned it," Narukami paused for another shot and continued, "the way we're handling the cases, it feels like we're in the same scenario. Imagine people pressing buttons to plan our actions, responses, attacks… Even controlling us to go to places they wanted to go…"

"Stop it man, that's just creepy," Hanamura shivered, lifting his cup for Narukami to serve him. "If this was only a game, I'd call it Persona 4. Too bad, it's happening in real life and we're freaking swimming in it. And… This  _is_  not a game, Narukami."

The Fool sported a quizzical look. "Why four? Is there a three?"

"No. Adding four makes it sound awesome."

Narukami grinned at the reply. Seems like they have a lot in common.

The night went on…until the clock on the TV alarmed. Hanamura stood and swiftly turned it off.

11:58 pm.

"Nah, sorry aibou. I kinda set that so I can't miss a damn program," he scratched his locks and slumped to his location across the silverhead.

"It's cool. Should we watch it? No harm in trying. We saved Haru-senpai, remember?"

Hanamura stared at the TV on mute, showing some B-movie and darted his eyes to his partner. "Might as well."

As they were expecting, the screen turned off and immediately went back on, the gray screen with nothing but static and a small 'Mayonaka TV' station ID lingering at the upper right hand corner of the tube.

"Now, it's safe to assume that today, it's mission accomplished," the brunette concluded with a sigh of relief and a slight hiccup. "Man, you still okay? I think that the bottle's good for three more rounds."

After two more rounds, the Magician felt a little tipsy and more of being sleepy.

"Hell, good thing I have my no-hangover gene," Hanamura yawned and poured his partner's final shot, setting the two pieces of earthenware beside each other. The croquette tray only had a half-munched piece and lots of crumbs on it, while the bento box held two strips of tonkatsu. "I will be okay to hang out tomorrow. How about–"

Victory is sweet. Narukami is turning green. However, instead of basking in the glory, he scooted near his ailing partner.

"Oi, aibou. You okay?"

Suuuure. He's definitely  _not_.

"Bathroom. Now."

* * *

 

The sounds of repeated heaving and flushing echoed in the confines of Hanamura's abode, the music loving teen gently stroking the back of a topless Narukami who was currently hugging the pristine ceramic toilet bowl.

"Okay, that's enough… You'll spill your intestines out if you continue."

"Yosuke… Everything's spinning…" the poor leader groaned and sent yet another dry heave.

The Magician, on the other hand, perked up at the sudden use of his given name and smiled a tad sheepishly. "Tch. I freaking know. I thought you're a heavyweight. Damn, I could hold myself far better than you."

"I never… urk… said anything of the sort. I just said I won't… urk… back down."

Hanamura deadpanned at the Fool. "Right, right. I remember. Tch. You even soiled my shirt," he said without venom, chuckling too despite the acrid stench of puke made of sake and partially digested croquette-tonkatsu combo. He stood and slipped off of his shirt too and resumed stroking the poor Fool's back.

"Sorry."

"Nah, it'll come off when I chuck them to the laundry."

Silence was golden, and the fact that Narukami stopped throwing up made Hanamura sigh in relief.

"I lost, right? Well, perhaps you should know," the Fool started, turning around and faced the brunette, his back resting against the side of the bowl. Hanamura arched an eyebrow and trained his slightly inebriated gaze at the silverette before sitting and leaning against the small bathtub, silently coaxing him to speak up. Hell, Narukami had his nerves being deep-fried the day he saw Kageyama. What piqued his curiosity more was the way he acted during day of the senpai's rescue.

"I was the one Haru-senpai was pertaining to," the Fool mumbled, his silver orbs settled at the pale blue tiles of the Magician's floor. "Man, that was embarrassing. It was before summer break… I was stalking him since I was in middle school and hell, I think I liked him that time…" he trailed off.

Hanamura remained silent, his mind piecing up the fragments of what he thought since he crashed Narukami's room earlier that day to get a rather large overcoat that definitely isn't his size.

As if reading his friend's thoughts, Narukami chuckled.

"That coat? It's his. No wonder Kuma knew immediately where that fucking school is. He lent it to me when I was freezing after I missed the bus and was waiting at the shed for another one that will arrive after an hour. He walked up to me and just chucked it with that brash face of his. Damn I thought I would be swallowed by the ground. I just finished 'stalking' him from his club practice and then I lost track of time. Bingo. We talked, and while we're waiting for the bus, I suddenly addressed him as Haru-senpai. Of course, I was embarrassed since everyone calls him Kageyama. I thought he would get angry and shut me up, but it didn't happen. Then the ball started rolling from there."

The Magician's look softened. So the leader has his hidden side too.

"We're like the inseparable duo after that. I think we're best friends, even. However, when I sorted out my feelings and tried to cross the line… Well, I was bashed on the spot. He said I was filthy, horrific, and abnormal even. Is it wrong to like another guy? Of course, society dictates that it's unacceptable, thank you very much. But thing is, did I even sign up for that? Is it my fault that my idol worship turned out to be sickeningly romantic?"

"That's enough," Hanamura cooed, leaning his head a bit to his side. "Now, my first and final question as the victor of this match: Do you still like him?"

Narukami didn't flinch and replied immediately. "Romantically, no. He's still a nice senpai, though he can be a tightwad and an obnoxious jerk. However, I'll be glad if he'll be in the team. We need all the help we can get, and besides, you'll find out that he's fun to hang out with despite his caustic demeanor. I think I managed to absorb some of his quirks too," he stated with finality and chuckled. "Also, I think I found someone I liked, but I don't think that the person will ever come to. I'll try my best though. Anyway, Yosuke… My head's swirling badly…"

"And that's that. C'mon aibou. Let's call it a night."

One in the morning, with the Magician's hand on his torso, and the drooling Fool clutching on the Magician's arm while his feet hung lazily out of the bed, the two slept the night away.

The two, still-full sake cups are now together, lip against lip, completely forgotten in the middle of croquette morsels, stale tonkatsu strips and a heartfelt, one-sided conversation.

When the sun came up and the Fool was asking what the hell happened as he didn't remember anything aside from the challenge, the Magician chortled, morning breath and all, and decided to keep the leader's secret, well, a secret.

"Damn aibou, you literally watched Sailormoon?"

* * *

And that's it. I'm so tired and I'll be going to a café near the university (which is an hour away) for my campus organization's orientation. Wee. I love seeing aspirants aiming to join in the fun.

Anyway, this is a totally, insanely long chapter that I only made in a span of 24 hours. Yay for me? No. Tch. I need my alcohol later. Hope you liked it. Just love me or flame me. I'll be grateful.

Sore ja.

\- Sakuraba Ryuichiro, spazzing out due to lack of sleep and now smoking a Red Marl and sipping on some lemon-spiked water (Sour! But refreshing nonetheless.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man, are the chapters getting longer and longer and LOOOOOONGEEEEEEEEER?
> 
> Edited 28-1-2013  
> Figured out that it shows the wrong Scent number. Alright. I'm putting up Scent 6 in a few hours. I'll keep you posted.


	6. Scent 6 - I... KILLED Them.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The new murder victim left the Investigation Team lost in the mist of doubt. Final exams are lurking at the corner. Former facts turn into vague conjectures. With the killer escaping into the TV, along with the tension between the group and a certain blue-haired boy further shroud their view of the Truth, the Fool should always remember: despite the misdirection and confusion, all that Zero needs is to hold onto One.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's up, for fucking Kami-sama's sake. *smokes idly*

 

Would You Love Me?

Okay. Here I am again, after the maelstrom of the past year called  _consecutive_  holidays, rising from the shadows. Ugh, cigarette prices went up so I'm currently saving for an electronic one. It works like a club fog machine, a 'shisha', or a portable salbutamol nebulizer. Your mileage may vary.

Now that all those festivities have come to an end, I'm up to write again. I can't apologize more for the delay, but then, if you're a busy man like me, well…

This covers the Kubo Mitsuo rescue, so the insanity will be more than eminent, if I know how to write  _insane_  in a span of several paragraphs. I'm currently in a sulky mood so that should help a lot. Having a one bad day after the other can make you think weird things. Add the fact that I'm playing Corpse Party on my PSP and it pretty much distracted me.

Oh and here enters Shirogane and all that bishounen Kuma goodness.

Enjoy this mildly I-dunno-how-to-explain-it Scent.

DISCLAIMER: The same as usual. I don't own anything except Kageyama Haru. He's mine. _All_  mine.

* * *

**Scent 6: I… Killed THEM.**

**_The Chaos Mage (Channel 1)_ **

"Damn it!"

Sitting around here at Aiya doesn't change the reality that hit us all this morning. Tch. Rise-chii took the week off school after being confined in that, ugh, strip club. And she was so charming too~

Anyway, that's not the issue here.

Tatsumi slammed his fist on the counter. "I thought the victims were just those who got fucking seen on the TV! Not even once!"

"We didn't even see Morooka-sensei on the Mayonaka TV either," Amagi said glumly, her fingers clutching her arm in apprehension.

"Why does this have to happen," I put my other two yen in. Aibou's elbows are brushing against mine and I could figure out that he's shaking slightly. He fell silent since we went in; can't blame him, for all that transpired. He put up this nice mask to keep his cool and to prevent others from breaking out into a fray of fried nerves. How gourmet–

"Ends up that it's all a coincidence, huh?" Satonaka mumbled, hands picking on a soy sauce bottle at the center of the table. "Mayonaka TV might not be related to the murders after all…"

"That  _can't_  be," partner butted in. Of course, it can't be, but what if it really isn't connected to the damn channel?

"Then how do you fucking explain it?"

Whoops. That didn't come out as I wanted it to be, but hell…

"I-I don't know, Hanamura."

Stop making that face, aibou. Tch.

"S-sorry man. I was just getting frustrated, you know," I apologized, guilt slightly gnawing on my insides. Narukami can't be held liable for anything for we've been crawling in the dark since day one of this damned Inaba murder chain.

"This might be too much for us to handle, nah? No way for us to get a hold of the perpetrators who keep on dodging the police radars…"

"The fuck? Out of the question, Hana-senpai," Tatsumi yapped. For Kami-sama's sake… Won't you stop giving me a headache? "You got  _involved_  because the helpless cops cannot and most likely  _won't_ ever be able to crack this case in the first place. Care to shimmy out of those panties when we're the  _only_  ones who can go in and out of that damn TV and do the seemingly routine rescue operations?"

You talk big, kouhai. But damn, I think you're right that it certainly makes damn sense.

"…"

Bam.

What's a  _big_  nikudon doing here? Wait, not big. Make it extra-mega-overly big.

"Huh? We didn't order anything!" I exclaimed, eyeing the stoic Aika-chan who went back to the counter getting a few more bowls for the Team.

"It's on the house – a special part of the menu that we only offer during rainy days."

"Anou… Ah… Thanks?" Amagi said with curiosity. "But why?"

"Today's an exception, so dig in." With that, Aika-chan went back to her usual business.

"Therefore, I conclude that it's chow time!" Satonaka squeaked and split her chopsticks. Tch. When it comes to meat, you really have no discernment, eh? And oi aibou, stop staring at that nice piece of meat. It's unnerving.

Twenty minutes later…

"Protein loading? Damn, no matter how much I eat, I can't see the rice  _at all_ ," I blubbered, not minding if it's bad manners to speak when masticating something. The nikudon's tasty, but fuck, it's like we're surveying for a rice mine with gold and diamonds underneath. Others didn't even make a tiny nick on the whole thing…

Another gruelling twenty minutes and…

"Meat, meat, grease, fat, grease, and more meat…" Narukami chanted like a litany as he inspected a few layers of the accursed beef bowl.

Tatsumi was the same thing. "What the hell's with this freaking kaijuu…"

Amagi got a table napkin and wiped her oily mouth with it. "At least we made a bit of a dent on it… I guess?"

"This is too much food!" I piped in, sighing as I rested my poor elbows on the back of my chair. "Seriously, I'm neither Nagase nor Ichijo who can polish it in a few bites… I couldn't even get to the bottom of this even if I eat it the whole effin' day!"

"…but we'll get to the bottom of this if we press on."

Aibou?

"Right. The road to the end is quite long, but eventually, the end can be reached, ne?" Satonaka affirmed, smiling a bit as she tried to grab another bite and chewing it utterly slowly.

"I'm sure of it!" Amagi chimed, becoming a tad enthusiastic about the ordeal. Of course, we're not pertaining to the beef bowl per se.

Tatsumi turned around from the counter and replied with a rain of meat and grease.

"Damn right."

"We may never see the end, but we need to grin and 'bear' it anyway, so let's just do what we're doing so far."

Hah. This is my Narukami mode. Damn, all it took was a never-ending nikudon to renew our convictions.

"I really… can't see the bottom of the bowl…"

"What the? That's all you can say, aibou?"

He sighed and put his chopsticks down. "At the very least, we levelled-up after this battle with a meat monster…"

"That's 3000 yen each," Aika-chan said, popping out of nowhere.

"You said it was  _on the house_?!" I spazzed out. I can't believe this!

"That's right. It's on the house – if you finish it," the calm voice of the part-time waitress-slash-our-classmate stated matter-of-factly. Tch. She even pointed out the poster describing the Mega Beef Bowl  _Challenge_. Fuck, should I have known…

"Ah. Welcome to Aiya."

Kageyama-senpai? Oh, with a bunch of sports aficionados with stomachs capable of breaking the time-space continuum…

"It didn't cross my mind that you're hanging out here," the dark senpai said as he noticed us, saying a quick "yo" at aibou. They're wearing weekend clothes despite tomorrow being a school day. Huh?

"Hn… I told you it wasn't a brilliant idea, Ichijo. Group dating didn't even help in our quest for romance," Daisuke mumbled in defeat, slumping at a chair behind me. "Believe me guys, you won't dare doing it. Learn from us, Hanamura, Narukami."

"Daisuke, you idiot!" Ichijo screeched, flushing a bit when he took notice of the girls and sat next to the soccer freak. "You didn't have to say that out loud… Besides, senpai hoarded the girls to himself so it's your stupid fault that we didn't get any."

"A Mega Beef Bowl, eh?" Kageyama-senpai raised an eyebrow and paced to Narukami and judged the junior's prowess. "Not bad for a beginner."

Ah, that reminds me, he's a…

"Ichijo! Here!"

Satonaka slammed the unfinished nikudon in front of the still-red basketball captain.

"All yours now!"

With that, she winked at Amagi and traipsed towards the exit, the fan-wielder following her trail.

"Hanamura-kun, we'll hang out at Junes. Later!"

They left, leaving an imaginary dust trail like some cowboys in the Wild Wild West.

"Oi!" She didn't just put the foot of the bill on me?

"Is it okay for me to… you know… dig into this?" Ichijo said, sounding embarrassed but enthusiastic nonetheless. Huh?

"Who cares? It's a blessing so just say 'Itadakimasu' and get your ass rolling," Nagase retorted, shrugging while he scanned the menu and called Aika-chan to take his order. Kageyama-senpai, however…

"I claim this," he said, sitting himself regally in the vacant seat in front of aibou, grabbing his bowl  _and_ chopsticks and started devouring the accursed nikudon with gusto.

"You waste food too much so you'll pay for this, right Narukami?"

Tch. Such a fucking tightwad of a glutton… Damn you, senpai. Anyway… Tatsumi's keeling over but hell, he should pay for his fucking bowl. And I have to pay for Amagi's too…

Wait, wait, wait, wait… Did senpai just had an indirect kiss with aibou? I should've seen that coming, but hey, I'm just a normal guy liking girls so it kinda irked me a little. Justifiable.

Right?

 

* * *

We somehow ended up raiding the Junes electronics department in hopes to ask Kuma if someone got thrown inside the TV when we weren't looking. It wouldn't hurt to confirm that, ne?

Out of pure damn luck, the section supervisors are huddling over the TV area. This stupid unlucky streak goes by ever-so-painstakingly-slowly.

"Hope they didn't find out something about that TV."

Way to go, Tatsumi.

"By the looks of it, we're pretty much screwed if they did."

How calm, senpai. Thank you very much for enlightening me. That does not remedy the risk of jeopardizing the Team's 'standard' operations so I just need to man up and ask what was wrong.

"Ah! What's the matter?" I blubbered after reaching the three guys talking about something and pointing at the massage chair area. Whew. That was a relief.

"Ah, perfect timing, Yosuke. Kuma-tan came by."

What the… "Eh? Kuma-tan, you said?"

And lo, there he was, currently enjoying (I think?) the vibrating goodness of an insert-a-hundred-yen massage couch. I'm beginning to wonder if hollow bears can have sore muscles when they're in fact, well, hollow.

"This feels  _beary_  good!"

"Whoa! He's here!" Satonaka screamed, earning a few looks from the prospective customers browsing the electronics.

Kageyama-senpai crossed his arms and sighed. "Of course he is," he uttered with the air he usually had.

Tch. Satonaka, I pity you. At least we're quits now. But what good does it bring if she didn't even realize that she's being called an idiot without even saying the damn word? Talk about dense.

"Looks comfy. Can I try it too?" Oh no. Narukami is on the idiotic side of the situation as well…

"The hell are you doing here?!" I screamed, not minding the surroundings. We're a weird crowd, so doing weird things come out naturally.

"You finally showed up! I was getting a bit lonely so I went out and waited. Am I lucky today or what?"

Amagi surely was aghast. "Kuma-san, is it fine for you to leave the TV?"

"You can?" Tatsumi seconded. Seriously, repeating yourselves over and over is kinda irritating…

"There's an exit after all," Kageyama-senpai replied and stook his thumb out towards the huge LCD TV that we use during 'standard operations'.

"Sugoi! Haru-chama is sooo smart!" Kuma praised. He levelled-up in the brains department just because of that? And what's with the cutesy '-chama'? Guess I'll never know.

"It just never occurred to me before. Buuut~" the stupid bear trailed off and rolled his stubby shoulders (Does he have one?) in bliss. "After hanging out with you guys, I suddenly got interested and went out!"

"Yeah, that happens."

The bear gleamed. "I knew sensei would understand! Oh, someone asked me for my name, so I said 'I'm Kuma!' like the way it should be!"

"I should've known this could happen sometime," Satonaka grimaced. Haha. But…

There are a lot more important things that we should worry about.

"Kuma, we need to ask you something."

"Huh?"

"Let's gather to the food court, shall we?"

 

* * *

"So, no one got thrown inside the TV?"

"Nope!"

"You hundred percent sure about that?"

"That's what I'm saying all the while, Yosuke! I was all alone as I worked out to regain my beautiful fur! Besides, the nose always knows. No two ways about it!" He emphasized, flailing his arms while he's at it.

"Okay, so Moron King never went inside. What gives?"

I'm currently out of ideas so Kami-sama help me.

"Perhaps the killer did it in the real world?"

No shit? Don't even instigate from that line of thinking, aibou. However…

"Maybe he hadn't been successful using the TV so…" Amagi supported Narukami's hypothesis.

Satonaka sipped her juice and chewed on her straw. "Probably. We saved four people in a row now."

"Impatient, eh?" Tatsumi pondered aloud, leaning over the table before inhaling deeply in exasperation.

"Doesn't seem farfetched. Kinda fits the bill if you ask me," Kageyama-senpai tossed his two yen in. "What do we do next, Narukami?"

Tch. Kuma's getting twitchy all of a sudden.

"Gragh! It's getting beary hot now!" He abruptly calmed down and…

"I can do this… No chickening out… All I have to do is to pull the zipper…"

"Fuck, Kuma! Kids are watching!" I screamed in alarm. "Ever heard about the risk of traumatizing them if they saw a mascot  _moving_  and  _talking_  without  _anyone_  inside it?" Without ado, I lunged at his fluffy head and grabbed it, never allowing him to even do such a creepy thing.

"That hurts, Yosuke! I'm not empty anymore!"

Now I savored the fruits of his training. Damn, he got strong. Where's the bear that I easily pushed around when we started raiding the TV?

"Off it goes…"

…am I watching a bishounen anime? Who would've thought? Blonde hair, blue eyes, annoyingly cute androgynous face… Hell, when did you –

"You're… not empty anymore?"

Blondie just took a deep breath and, fuck, are those flowers? "Ah, what a nice breeze! Ever fitting for my nice, hot body…" And with that, he took a sip of juice that I had no idea how he did that a few minutes ago with that bulky 'head' of his. Fuck. He literally has two heads now.

Nice, hot body, huh? Narukami's way beyond… Oh crap.

"Y-you must be joking…" Satonaka, can I pinch you on the cheek to confirm that?

"I'm not dreaming, that's for sure."

Kageyama-senpai already did so to himself and that red spot on his cheek was the sole evidence.

"I feel greeeeat! I grew a body so I can score with Chie-chan, Yuki-chan, and even Kanji, Yosuke, Haru-chama and sensei!"

"Now that you said it…"

I thought that Kageyama-senpai wasn't capable of blushing. I'm totally wrong.

"Perhaps, I wouldn't –"

"…just for that?" the kung-fu girl said, her jaw dropping on the ledge.

Amagi wasn't  _beary_ impressed. That caustic expression explained everything. "How many times must you bring that up?"

Even Tatsumi is having a nosebleed. What's with you, guys? Seems like Narukami is down for some reason. He was mumbling about manga, Basketbelles or something, and bad idea for a moment.

"Maa, do you have any clothes on you?"

We're wearing them now, for your information.

"I'm bear as a newborn baby…" the now not-empty bear continued with a wanton look. Tch.

"Wah! Haru-chama! Where are you taking me!"

And there goes the dark senpai, clutching at the bear's lower costume at the zipper, hoisting him like a jacket and strutted fast-pacedly towards the automatic doors.

"We're going to shop."

"So he grew a body all by himself?" Tatsumi stage-whispered, sniffing back the rivulet of blood coming out of his nose.

"Good for him," Narukami sighed. "I wish I were a little more picky when it came to the tankoubon that I brought him months back."

Ugh, what?

"No fucking way. What the hell is he?!"

Ah, my flair for the dramatics. Now sue me.

We stayed a bit longer to come out with the next plan of action and ended up arranging a meeting with Risette to discuss the things that happened so far.

_Pi pi pi pi~_

"Ah, Kageyama-senpai," Satonaka answered her phone, excusing herself from our crowd to get a quieter location.

"Uh-huh? You can do that."

What's with that victorious look on your face?

"Nah… won't mind… Okay!"

I have the feeling that this won't be pretty.

 

* * *

It turned out that my gut instincts were right. I knew I couldn't trust Satonaka's schemes. After praising me for being such a well-off adult, here's what I get?

"Who said you could charge it to my account?!"

Hell, the savings for my moped! I was so close too… You even betrayed me, Kageyama-senpai… What irked me more was aibou's being insensitive about it.

Crap. He  _knew_  he was – and certainly will  _always_  be – a tightwad.

"I'm short on cash, and Kuma just ranted about my choice of clothes being itchy. His taste on fabrics is way off the charts so we settled on the expensive stuff. Besides, your apparel is too high-priced so we got the cheapest ones available," the traitor said slowly, sighing every now and then. "And he's so squirmy too when I tried to get that… uh… shirt on him. You still owe me for the trouble but I'll let that go for now."

You put that burden on yourself.

"You could've told me, senpai!"

Satonaka got between us and tapped my shoulder. "It's all for good cause, Hanamura. Besides, you're the Prince of Junes, so it's just a few coins from your gold stash."

"Absolutely right, Satonaka. Good job, Kageyama-senpai. Kuma now looks respectable."

Tch. Why are you nodding like it was a very good idea, aibou?

I'll kill you one day Narukami Yu.

Fuck, I paid for Amagi's nikudon, I got ripped off by a scheming kung-fu girl con obnoxious senpai duo, and shelled out a thousand yen to Tatsumi to get Kuma some Topsicles. I'm currently in a bad mood right now.

The cat-eat-dog-eat-cat fight between me and Satonaka (I don't have a fighting chance if I took on Kageyama-senpai for sure) got interrupted when we saw Amagi and aibou in front of Marukyu speaking to a tiny boy situated near the store.

The same boy Tatsumi was talking to back in a month or so.

"Hm. I'll check it out. You guys coming?"

No need to ask that, senpai.

"Narukami!"

The boy squinted and gave us a quick visual inspection.

"Oh, you're all here too. I still haven't introduced myself." He took on a business-like aura and continued. "Shirogane Naoto, a detective. The police required help to investigate the serial murders so that's where I come in."

"A detective?" Narukami repeated. He doesn't seem convinced. So do I.

"Indeed. Also, may I ask you for your opinion on something?"

Gulp. I don't buy that but hell, as we have no other leads as of now, might as well get this done and over with. We're way behind schedule. Meeting Risette is the highest priority as of now.

"W-what is it?"

Damn, I sounded like a lie-weaving idiot.

"Wasn't the latest victim, Morooka Kinshiro-san, a teacher at your school?"

"What of it?"

Oi, Satonaka, don't give him the wrong idea that we're involved in this. Secrecy, remember?

"The second victim, Konishi Saki-san, attended the same institution."

Tch. So what? You never know anything. Even the police can't ascertain that those people were killed inside the TV. I'll bet the remaining yen in my account on that.

"The media is currently viewing the case along that perspective, but that isn't what I am pointing at. There's something peculiar about this case that I'm quite certain that I'm not amiss."

Enough of your riddles, boy.

"So? What are you getting at?"

The Wheel of Fortune just ground to a halt.

"Morooka-san was never seen on the TV, unlike the others, namely Yamano-san, Konishi-san, Amagi-san, Tatsumi-san, and Kujikawa-san."

Bulls-eye.

"What do you think of that?"

Narukami's shoulders tensed, but I hope that didn't give him away. Well, that surely didn't. I'm quite skilled in Narukami-reading so there.

"Beats me."

The scent of burning tobacco assaulted my nose. Soon enough, the boy's orbs trained on something behind me before nodding with a smile.

"Very well. I simply want to close this case as quickly as possible. I've got my eye on you. Later then."

After he was gone from our sight, the lingered on, along with the faint tinge of cancerous smoke.

"What was that about?"

"Should we meet Rise then?" Kageyama-senpai blurted from behind, back leaning against a telephone post, his foot trampling on the spent cigarette and blew some smoke sideways. "Fuck, that boy's gaze annoys me."

"Kageyama-senpai, you smoke now? I never thought –"

Narukami got cut off as soon as he started.

"Who are you, Narukami? My mother?" he snapped, slapping his right hand on his jeans as if they're dusty. Then he became a little out of it before scratching his spiky head in annoyance. "Ah, just drop it. Let's go, hn?"

There might be a storm going on this side of town.

 

* * *

The shrine nearby was a nice choice. The riverbank is too far, not to mention crowded by people at this time; totally not conducive for the 'talk' that we'll be having.

"Sorry to bring you here. Obaa-chan would be dead worried if she overheard this," she spoke solemnly, he cute figure leaning against the concrete fence.

Narukami, the ever precocious one, started the niceties. "Are you well?"

"Yup. I'm doing well now."

"Mou…" I grumbled. "Risette, you positive that you didn't get a glimpse of that bastard's face?"

"Mm-hm. I was in that club when I came to."

"So it was the same as Kanji-kun, senpai and me…" Amagi trailed off, finding her feet the best thing to settle her gaze at.

"Anou…"

Damn, Risette is fidgeting over something… How cute~ She really  _is_  Risette! I can do a victory dance now! But, hell, that's so lame.

Well, aibou's as cool as always.

"What is it?"

"Um… thank you… for saving my life. I'm very grateful!"

"Ahahaha… Don't sweat it. It's not a big deal, you know. We just did what we can," Satonaka said lengthily.

Senpai almost chortled and hid it in a smirk, biting the filter of his half-finished cancer stick. "Stop doing that Rise. Hanamura might puke hearts and rainbows."

"Not cool, Kageyama-senpai. I'm still mad at you."

"Eh? I can't see why you shouldn't be."

But hell, I can't stop blushing! This is Risette that we're talking about!

"You're the real Risette… I can't believe my own eyes…"

"Ne, would you be in trouble without me?" she ignored my musings. Aw. I don't mind  _at all_.

…huh? What's with that frown, aibou?

Nah, I'm just seeing things. And damn, senpai. Wipe that cocky smirk off your face.

"Yeah! Hell yeah!"

"Ah. It'd be a big help to have you in the Team." Narukami handed those pink Mayonaka TV lenses with a smile.

"Is this proof that I'm one of you now?" she asked excitedly, wearing the said eyepiece on in no time.

"Pretty much, yeah," senpai replied with a drag of smoke. Tch. How obnoxious, but he seemed damn cool doing it. I won't try that anytime soon. How come he doesn't smell like an ashtray? Dojima-san faintly smells like one if I recall correctly, but his aftershave works wonders, I think. Narukami sometimes has this whiff of that thing on him at times. Argh. So much for such trivial thoughts. I should be focusing on Risette!

"Everyone wore them in the TV, right?"

"Yup," aibou affirmed. "Glad to have you aboard."

"Yep! Now we're friends!"

That hit me. Risette? Me? Friends? This is the best thing that ever happened in my life! A real-time celebrity joining our bunch of weird characters in a hunt for the mysterious killer? Who knew?

"I'll finally get to enjoy my rose-colored youth!"

 

* * *

**_Death By Sleep (Channel 13)_ **

How boring.

Skipping club offers me a lot of free time after classes and snoozing off during Calculus refreshes my mind. Ah, what to do now?

I sucked on a vanilla-chocolate combo lollipop that I somehow got from my locker during lunch. It seemed safe to eat so I kept it for later use. If you itch for a smoke and you're within the perimeter of the school grounds, it makes a good alternative. Too bad you can't see the cancerous thing dissipate in the air. Some teachers are hot on my trail now so I should keep it low for the meantime.

"I… I-"

"What do you need her for?"

"Moron! You'll regret this!"

Tch. Noisy.

Huh? This damn kid has some nerve to just breeze through me and hit me while he's at it. I took a gaze uphill and saw my kouhai staring at this Fisheye-san. Hm. He appeared to be a troublemaker, now that I realized it. Narukami messaged me about that when I woke up from my midday classroom nap. He might be the one, but I'm not too sure.

"Oi. Watch your step, kid."

Ah. So he can bare fangs, eh?

"Want a piece of me then?" I crunched on my sugar ball and cracked a few knuckles. Tch. Nobody gives Yu-chan and his merry troop of friends a headache and runs away from it unscathed.

Hah. Scared as a sewer rat, I see. Better run off while you still can.

"Kageyama-senpai."

I glanced at the silver boy and the rest of the gang. "Hm. Mind if I join your walk home?"

Summer afternoons can't get any brighter than this.

 

* * *

"So that Fisheye-san is the same guy then?" I queried, sucking on another stick of lollipop. I tried to share since it's a 10's box but the juniors declined politely. Not a fan of sweet things? The bleached blonde freshie thinks the otherwise and asked albeit nervously for two more. Haha. I think I like this guy.

"Uh-huh. Threatened Nanako yesterday at Junes too when I went back to get Kuma's head."

A tinge of worry streaked Hanamura's face and whipped his head towards Yu-chan. "You didn't tell me that, aibou."

"I shouldn't make you worry. We've got too much on our plates now; that'd just spell another problem for the Team too. Besides, she's okay and told me not to wallow on it. She requested for Yosuke-nii's presence when she goes out shopping the next time though," my silverette explained with a grin. Refreshing. I wish it were me. I can't wait to meet this cousin of his one of these days.

"She can count on Yosuke-nii for that! Haha!"

"Oi, you shotacon. Stop making advances on Nanako-chan. She's way out of your league," Satonaka grumbled and Amagi went on her signature laughing spree. Kami-sama…

The floodplain looms near and for some reason, Tatsumi stopped near the gazebo.

"You guys go on ahead. I have plans. See ya at school tomorrow, senpai."

Not too soon, squeals of a young boy perked up my ears. Far away…

"You came! You really came! Haha! Let's go on a date now!"

"Idiot. What did you tell your okaa-san? If you go home late, you'll get scolded again."

"I said I'm going out with Kanji. She just said 'Alright. Make sure you tell Kanji I'll order three pink alligators.' and shooed me away. She doesn't care if I came home before seven as long as I told her I'm hanging out with you. Besides, you always walk me home so that takes care of it."

"Tch. Figures. Well, at least that order makes good yen."

"That's it! Oh, can we go to a sweet shop? My treat!"

"Hell, you're getting into my nerves, brat. I'm not your girlfriend. You accompany girls to the damn store, not guys around eight years your age."

"Mm-hm. Right, Kanji. Okay. That makes you my boyfriend then."

"Say what now?!"

Satonaka giggled, smacking Amagi lightly on the shoulder.

"Pfft. Tatsumi's so pawned by a kid!"

I was glad we're out of those two's earshot. Tatsumi's rage reflects Take-mizakuchi's wrath. "Now that's real shotacon."

"Haha. Good blackmail material, eh?" Hanamura schemed, setting his hands behind his head as he walked leisurely along the floodplain. "Anyway, I'll walk you home too, aibou."

The silver boy became surprised. "Huh? That'd be totally out of your way."

"I got him covered." Tch. Real smooth. I hope he didn't get the wrong idea.

"Well, I haven't seen Nanako-chan for a while, and it's a big bro's duty to see her from time to time, ne?"

"So that you could 'score'? Ugh, how disgusting," Satonaka growled, causing Amagi to laugh further.

"Hahaha! That's something Kuma-san would say! Score! Ahahaha!"

"Eh, Yukiko… I thought you didn't want to hear the 'scoring' thing?"

She changed from giddy to dark and angry in a flash. For once, it creeped me out.

"Definitely."

Then there goes her darn happy hormones. "But at this time I can't stop laughing at it! Oooh, my stomach…"

Satonaka stopped at the fork at the end of Samegawa, clutching a still giggling Amagi. "We're heading this way. See y'all tomorrow."

…and they trailed off.

"So, it's us three again, ne?" Hanamura commented jovially, pacing himself in stride with Yu-chan. When can I have some alone time with him? Oh right. Hanamura is the self-proclaimed right hand man.

"I hope you wouldn't suggest a sake night again, Hanamura. My head almost killed me that morning."

"Yeah, right. And you were sleeping like a log. And way too heavy too you felt like timber on my bed. I think my arm went asleep whole night long, bastard. Well, I guess that's because we're men in the making, na?"

"Fuck you and your no-hangover gene, Hanamura."

"Well, thank you, aibou. You're not so bad yourself, but you still have a lot to learn. Pfft. Lightweight."

Huh? They slept together?

I'm itching for a cigarette right now.

"Ah, I forgot something. I'm heading off to the convenience store. Hanamura, you see Yu-chan home. And don't forget to study. Finals are just a few days away." With that, I steered away from their old married couple conversation.

Tch. That brown-haired Prince of Junes really grates into my neurotic synapses. Oh well, bitching around won't do me any good. How far did they go?

Damn.

"Kageyama-senpai! The konbini's that way…"

Crap. Of all people, why was Hanamura the one to ever tell me that?

 

* * *

At last. Finals are over. More time slacking off. I wonder how I did? My former PE teacher gave me a set of cards with wands (Sometimes with cups, or coins, and fuck, swords?) on it when I make it to the top three of the class. I don't know what those were or how to use them so I kept them in my old notes box. Anyway…

"For Kami-sama's sake, what's with the long faces?" I asked the Investigation Team members who were in varying levels of dazed, slumped, and albeit dreadful; save for Yu-chan, sipping a lemon soda with no desperate reaction whatsoever and Amagi munching on some crunchy snack made of green peas (it said so in the label).

"I think my brain turned into vichyssoise," the music idiot replied glumly, his forehead red from hitting the edge of the table for no less than five times.

"How gourmet," Yu-chan chided, stretching his arms before knocking the brunette's head gently. "You could've said my brain just got creamed."

"It's just a plain, cold potato and leek soup, asshole," the other retorted, swatting the silver boy's hand away with little venom, in the very least that's what I thought. Fucking lovebirds…

"I'm glad we're done for the week, aibou. No more exams until the next term rolls in. And please, don't rain on my already ruined parade."

Rise is just as pissed and relieved. "Mou, what's with English? If that was the case, I should've hired an interpreter instead."

"That's not the point…" Tatsumi growled tiredly.

"Ne, Yu-senpai! How did you do?"

"My pen wouldn't stop moving."

"Wow! How impressive!"

He surely is, Rise.

Amagi barged into the conversation. "That reminds me, where's Kuma-san?"

"Isn't he living with you, Hanamura?" Satonaka responded lazily, her hand supporting her slightly chubby cheeks. Okay, first, he's hoarding Yu-chan. Now, he's having Kuma too? Under the same roof?

What a playboy.

"Ah… Ne… He's paying for it by being the mall mascot. It's easier to keep him that way. He also paid off what he wore the last time by doing that job too."

"So, you forced him to wear that, Hana-senpai," Tatsumi concluded, a smug grin breaking out of his face. "You changed him back."

Kuma soon noticed us looking at him handing out those balloons to a group of children and ran towards us in a hurry.

"How's everyone doing? Let me know if you're going stud hunting."

"Don't bring that up anymore," Amagi said with a chilling tone. For a Fire-persona user, she's the ice-cold-scary-when-provoked type. Much more freezing than Tomoe's icicle disaster when we tried raiding my dungeon for training.

"Oh, right. This is more like a group date than picking each other up! A triple date!" the music idiot beamed, his expression telling everything about youth and good days. Ugh.

The yakiniku girl slammed the ball back at him. "We'd never go on a group date with you guys."

"Ditto," I said simply. "As far as group dates are concerned, count me out."

"Whoa! Haru-san, that's harsh…" Rise blubbered with a mock-pout. Damn, that look. She knows something. Now, I'm securing an escape route. "Or perhaps, you have somebody you like?"

"We should go scoring then, Haru-chama!"

With all those stares… Okay. I give up.

"More or less," I stated simply.

"I knew it! Best of luck for us!"

What's with the 'us' part? Fuck, Rise. Can you be any clearer? You kinda lost me. Give me your interpreter. Now.

"Well, Moron King would've blown a fuse and started yapping at us if we really were in that kind of situation," Hanamura digressed. Grudges? But this seemed a little light.

"Moron King, huh?" Yu-chan trailed off, staring into some empty space.

"He was an ass," Satonaka reminisced, a bitter, slightly irritated air wafting from her.

Amagi seconded. "I didn't like him either."

Hanamura fumbled with his drink straw and muttered solemnly. "No one ever liked that creep. But… No one deserves to pass away like that."

Yu-chan shot up. "We have to catch the killer," he stated with conviction. Tch. That attitude blew me away every single damn time.

"My sentiments exactly, aibou. Mayonaka TV is currently cool as of the moment, but we have to check it often."

"That won't be necessary."

Ah, that Shirogane boy again.

"They've identified the culprit. You should leave the rest to the police."

Tomoe's other glanced up and asked curiously. "They did? Who was it?"

"They didn't tell me. What I do know is that he's a high school student pretty much like you."

"A high school student, you say?" Amagi asked rhetorically, her tone somewhat disbelieving the said statement. Well, if it came from the police, it can be considered a fact now, more or less.

"As such, your little game is over."

Yu-chan suddenly became pissed. Why? Because I know.

"We aren't playing around."

And as for the theatrical part, Rise stomped right in.

"A game?! Weren't you the one not taking it seriously?"

"So… Is it the affirmation of your involvement?"

Whoa, don't break the poor table. And please, stop pressing those, uh, lady lumps together. I know they're quite big, but that pretty disconcerting as of the moment since I'm getting a 45-degree view of it.

"I don't freaking care if you're some detective. All you do is solving this and assembling together pieces of that. Treating this case like a jigsaw puzzle… You're the one considering it a game!"

"Someone dear to us got tangled in this gruesome killings. I've got no time to play around," Hanamura added fiercely. He calmed himself after a few seconds like how Yu-chan usually did, and turned to face Kuma.

"Besides, we still hold on to that promise, ne?" he continued with a wink, creating a teary-eyed fluffy bear.

"I'm the one treating it like a game? Hm. Maybe you're right."

"So, what's our oh-so-famous detective doing here? Did they kick you out after they caught the damn killer?" Hanamura said caustically, taunting the boy further. Tch. I don't know, but this Hanamura is kinda threatening.

"My job is over now that the killer has been held in custody. Although, I admit that it's sad that they cut me out at their earliest convenience. I'm used to it though."

Tatsumi had the audacity to barge in. "You're…"

Ah, somehow, I kinda feel bad for the boy. Got fired after the party's over, huh?

"Well, I must be going now."

He left, leaving a weird feeling that bugged me – no, perhaps all of us.

Amagi appeared distressed. Her slight shaking gave her away. "Is it… really over?"

"I can't say. If the things he said were true…"

Hanamura?

"Are… we done getting together like this?" the Priestess blurted, unsure on how to rephrase the said sentence in a better way.

Yu-chan's flabbergasted face tells the whole internal turmoil he was having.

 

* * *

Summer rains are a drag. Umbrellas are a pain in the ass to carry, but what can I do? This isn't the city where there are sidewalks where you can literally strut along without having to worry of getting your clothes wet. Alas, this is the sticks, but hell, I have to grin and 'bear' it. That Kuma… Oh, is that him?

"Yo, Narukami."

My silver boy twisted in surprise, along with the former Team members of class 2-2.

"Senpai." Yu-chan acknowledged and the rest turned to face me.

I paced towards them, seeing Hanamura in tad high spirits. Whoa. The Magician is on the roll even in such crummy weather. The case's results are today's highlight and everyone's talking about it.

"It shows that Shirogane's story was for real," Hanamura said, yawning after his share of words.

Satonaka replied a bit dolefully. "What's left for us to do? They found the killer after all."

Amagi's statement was a hard pill to swallow.

"There's nothing left."

Even I can't shake this feeling off my chest. Ugh. Since when did I have this kind of internal dialogue? Huh? Yu-chan stopped walking… I wonder…

"Not yet."

This is what I've been talking about.

"Huh?" Hanamura noticed his 'aibou' wearing this pensive look.

"Well, it's raining today, so I think we might as well check Mayonaka TV tonight."

I spared Yu-chan a sideways glance, grinning at his plain yet somehow broken confidence. Just keep pressing on, ne? With that, I just ruffled his silver hair like I did before. "That's the way, Leader-san."

"Yeah. Of course we should," the headphones boy replied as if it was a normal thing.

 

* * *

Midnight struck. I should get used to this. However, if you believe that seeing your TV come on in its fucking yellow glory without it being connected to the mains a normal scenario, then you might be mistaken.

There's no way this is normal. Hell, I'm still trying to wrack my brains out for a reason why this is happening, but to no avail. Despite Enma-o being an alleged judge of the underworld, for one, he doesn't seem to know much about it either. Well, your Other is basically you, so you share the same knowledge pool.

Fisheye-san is the victim now? Who would've thought? Though my brain tells me that I want him to stay there and get eaten by his own Shadow for being such an ass to my kouhai, well, Yu-chan wouldn't like that. Tch. I thought he's the one contracting my germs; in actuality, I might've been infected with Narukami virus. Hmph. It doesn't matter. Perhaps this is what you call a change of heart.

Dialing the phone was quite a chore when you're yawning. When you saw the typical midnight poop on the tube that you were sorta expecting and the line was busy a few seconds after, much like prior to Rise's rescue, your mind works overtime thinking who could've made it before you.

Seems like it'll be a routine now: that uber-early morning SMS (got a timestamp at around four, mind you) telling us that it's mission time after school.

I must get some sleep. No use wasting time on shoulda-woulda-couldas. A smoke and I'm off to slumber.

 

* * *

A trip down the memory lane.

The strata in all its 8-bit glory. Cheesy midi music. A low-definition world chock full of pixels. Plus, a box showing NewGame, Load, and Option.

"Aibou! We're in a real-world RPG!"

"So we are."

"Yukiko, this is just creepy…"

"…like being trapped in a Famicom cartridge."

"I'll provide support! Scan away, Himiko! Oh, just keep track of Kubo-san, ne?"

"Wai! Rise-chan has a better nose than me!"

"Ugh, Kuma, you still wearing that thing? I believe Kage-senpai brought you something to change in."

"I'd prefer Yosuke's or my regular bear suit than Haru-chama's itchy ones."

I apologize for having such cheap weekend clothes. If it's a crime, then I'll surrender silently.

"Anyway, he broadcasted 'Catch me if you can' so he thinks of it as a game," Tatsumi barked, adjusting his smoky lenses, appearing to be pumped up. Ah, such youth. I never held an old-fashioned game system (though I emulate them); I'm a PSP type of guy. Ero-games are cool.

"Ah game, huh? Now I'm pissed! I'll kick his butt until it forms another crack!"

Whoa. Enthusiastic, are we?

 

* * *

Fuck!

"Narukami, you idiot! Don't go barging all alone!"

He's a well-seasoned student, but when he's all irrational, he's worse than a fucking moron! Paying no heed to Rise's warnings… Getting swallowed by that miasma… Tch. Exhaustion is my weakness. Good thing I've got a soda from Kuma earlier – which he got from that frozen TV – no, icebox courtesy of that idiot Yu-chan.

"Tomoe, strengthen Tatsumi! Tarukaja!"

Tatsumi bathed in a red glow and grinned nervously. "I'll put that to good use. Take-mizakuchi, ram those damn blocks to dust! And bring out senpai while you're at it!"

Rise wailed. "There's an opening! Go for it!"

"Kyaaah! Tomoe, Black Spot, now!"

Nice piece of work you got there. Time to shine for a bit.

"Enma-o, bestow a blissful rest. Hamaon!"

Tch. What a waste.

"Haru-san, Light attacks aren't working! Try switching to Agi skills and combine with Yukiko-senpai!"

No shit, Sherlock. Damn. For all we know, Yu-chan might be suffocating inside those blasted Lego blocks for quite a while now. Could there be a faster way to do this?

"No, wait! It changed properties! A Fire attack might be powerful, but he's now guarding against it…"

"I'll aid ya," Hanamura offered with all urgency, along with a round of a nice breeze, Sukukaja. "Amagi, do a nice Fire Break in front and spam Maragion afterwards. We'll flank it with senpai. Can you do that?"

Hm. I commend you for being in control despite the panic we're having. Eager to save Yu-chan too, eh? Freaking lovebirds. Alright. Have it your way, Second-in-Command-san.

"As far as my flames can reach, Hanamura-kun," she nodded in affirmation before cracking a Snuff Soul and basking in its calming scent. "You heard that? Now go, Konohana-sakuya!"

"Care to join the beat, senpai?"

"Hell yeah."

Damn, I could only blast a round of Agidyne and I'm done for. But, as a senpai, it'll hurt my pride if I let these kids down.

"Per-kuma! Booyah!" Kuma exclaimed frantically, summoning Kintouki-douji and sent a spell akin to a nice summer rain to everyone. "Energy Shower, for insurance! Pain, exhaustion, go away!"

"Tch, why didn't you do that sooner?!" Tatsumi screeched and sent a fist flying to the bear's skull. "We could've saved a lot of stamina."

"You're so mean, Kanji!" he cried, but saw me panting and threw me a Snuff Soul too, much to my surprise.

Hanamura tilted his head, gesturing that we go now and kick some 8-bit ass. "I'll fan your flames," he said with a determined façade; his slight frown tells me the otherwise. Tch.

"Magarula!"

"Agidyne."

Close to perfect. All the blocks are now turning to embers. Your shoulders somehow sport a good head on it. Kudos. A Judge of the Underworld and a Superhero Frog can be a good tandem. I'll take note of that. That doesn't mean I like being around Hanamura. Hmph.

Yu-chan, how long are you gonna keep us waiting? We've been hacking and slashing endlessly, and we still can't find a lock of your hair. This is becoming a deep pile of shit.

"Yu? Yu!"

Egghead. If you want to follow Yu-chan, I don't care. Just a question: did you oil your gears properly? Losing your marbles now makes for a nice losing situation at our Game Over scenario. I don't know about you, but I plan on ending this game, even with a D- grade.

"Stay back! Narukami's trapped there, Hanamura. Are you stupid enough to have yourself gobbled up too?"

Music Idiot-san flashed me a feral gaze.

"Now you stay back."

Oh, I get it. You owe me one.

"Amagi, burn those flying blocks overhead."

The Priestess stared before nodding in affirmation. "Seems tough but I will handle it."

"Satonaka, that Black Spot? Keep it running so that area won't close on Hanamura. Tatsumi, do me a favor and accompany Tomoe. We require a good view of him in case things get nastier than it is."

"Got it, senpai," the two said in unison and did as they were told.

Damn, time's running out! Those blocks are annoying me!

"Kuma, cover Rise and be 'beary' wary about our status. Energy Shower and Mediarama, for Kami-sama's sake."

A salute? Tch. Alright. At least you understand what I said.

"Rise, continue feeding us information about the Shadow. Tell me new openings, hm? Stay calm."

The Lovers smiled weakly. "So that's how Yu-senpai got that air around him. No worries. Himiko and I will do our best."

Why she knew, I dunno. My mind's occupied with other things. Much more crucial ones.

Thankful of the Sukukaja boost, Enma-o and I tried being the decoy, doing a feint to cast Shadow Kubo's attention away from that idiot. For a squishy, SP-eating man like me, I was a little glad that Enma-o made me resistant to Agi. That damn baby is currently raining that on us now.

"Haru-san! The blocks have dissolved! An All-out Attack is possible now!"

"About fucking time. Guys, converge!"

That mushroom fallout cloud was lovely and reminded me of matsutake. However, it won't go down as I was expecting. Talk about being tough as a beef jerky.

"Yu? Hey! Hold out your hand!" Hanamura squealed in agitation and relief, digging his hand into some portal on a green Lego block.

These guys…

"There! Alright! A little more!"

A giant, shuriken-wielding stuffed frog cushioned the Fool and the Magician in its rather big hug. Holding hands and grinning madly?

I'm jealous.

"Thanks, Yosuke."

I think… my heart had a tiny crack just now.

Fuck. Is this how Yu-chan felt long ago? I'm absolutely unsure on how I will take it, but now isn't the best time for romance. There'll be time later – if we get out of here alive. Mentally smacking myself for thinking such girly thoughts might be the first step to do.

"Narukami! I'll kick your ass for worrying us like that!"

"Sensei! Welcome back!"

"Naru-senpai!"

"Narukami-kun! Thank goodness! You alright?"

"Yu-senpai! Oh, somebody have an SP recovery item? He badly needs one."

Hanamura turned Boy Scout and fished his pocket for a bag of gummy bears. Ain't that cute? Ugh. The Fool  _inhaled_  it on the spot. Someone's hungry.

Everyone's Personas kept the blocks at bay, leaving the baby vulnerable – but not for long. Hanamura screamed and resumed being in command, making others crush the perpetually-rebuilding fence of Shadow Kubo.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," Yu-chan turned and gave us a worried smile. He then shifted to his Leader-san image and bellowed.

"Let me remind you… I'm… not empty!"

A-amazing. Are those…

"Makami!" Fireballs lunged out of the ofuda-like dog thing and hit the damn baby's defense squarely yet it didn't make a scratch.

…his plethora of Personas?

"King Frost, Bufula!" A rain of ice shards flew yet the barrier didn't falter.

"High Pixie!" The bolt of electricity hit the invisible wall, and for some reason, the darn infant charged with an Agi-type attack. We're toast if that connects…

"Jack-o'-Lantern!"

… but was absorbed in that flimsy-looking gas lamp of his. The spontaneity of Yu-chan struck me silent. I'm too much in awe to speak.

Tch. Is that Shadow using a hex code breaker? Having  _all_  elements in his arsenal definitely reeks of cheating.

"Yu-senpai! That's a Mabufula! Defend everyone!"

"Yamata no Orochi!"

Chilling wind hit us harmlessly as the eight-headed serpent dissolved the dreaded blizzard with ease. Honestly, can his body sustain the insane invocation of multiple Personas? Enma-o is quite a handful and he eats up my strength somewhat quickly.

_"I heard that. Dost hath a trouble with me?"_

Sorry. Just wondering.

"How many Personas can he wield?" Hanamura pondered in awe. My thoughts exactly. And it seems like his deck isn't done yet.

"Leanan Sidhe!"

"A glittering Tentarafoo! How exquisite!" Rise squealed, hearts literally popping out of her eyes. Okay, you have the permission to be all genki-girl since you're an idol, after all.

Tch. You angered the kid, Yu-chan. I hope you have something to back that move up.

"Rakshasa!"

The barrage went on; the red-skinned Persona sliced the blocks like a hot knife through butter. Freaking amazing. That doesn't mean that this is already over. Stray blocks homed into trajectory and decided to hit us instead. Fucking bastard of a fetus.

"Ara Mitama!"

…a physical resist barrier? Hm. I might ask Rise about the details later. She's more attuned to those kind of stuff.

"Izanagi!"

…

 

* * *

How anticlimactic; the kid got enraged and ended up being stabbed in the head.

"Yo, Narukami. Deep breaths," I instructed. Hell, oxygenation of the body after a strenuous activity is a total must. One should have a proper cooldown or the whole system might riposte on them nastily. The Leader's trip to the hospital can be a very unwelcome nuisance and I think the others will agree.

"Yup, senpai…" he said in between pants. Fuck. You worried me.

Ka-tonk~

"Ouch! What was that for, senpai?"

Hmph. I hit you in the head. My gloved fists bring a whole world of pain.

"For being a chivalrous idiot."

Kuma barged in rather quickly. Ah. I forgot I told him to watch everyone. And, argh. If you threaten someone, make it believable. You look cuter than scarier, you stupid bear.

"Mediarama!"

That took care of the bump. Now get out of my hair.

Once we turn this guy over to the police, I'm soaking in a hot tub and… and… gragh. Maybe I'll think of something decent to do on the way home.

The Hermit, huh? Rise told that earlier, before that stupid Yu-chan got himself swallowed whole. A tarot book in the library said that it is a depiction of a person capable of handling himself despite his isolation from the society. By what it looked like, he seemed to be the otherwise. His Shadow, however, portrayed the right representation, though it certainly deviated from what it was.

Hmph. I'll try to email sensei. Perhaps he could bring light to this. He talked about stuff like that and I wasn't really interested. I'm definitely regretting that now.

…oh well. Too much thinking rots the brain.

 

* * *

**_Omu…make? [Channel (xsquared/10^2) + (ysquared/15^2) = 1]_ **

Sure enough, the afterparty was held at the Dojima residence after the last day of school prior to the much-awaited summer break – a cook-off, as the silverette put it simply. The kitchen turned upside down, cracked eggshells littered the bin in a controlled chaos since one can identify who the chef of a certain meal just by looking at the off-white, calcified remnants.

“Bland. _Absolutely_ tasteless,” the Emperor deadpanned, wondering how in Inaba did the Priestess’ concoction turned out to be extremely unreactive to the Investigation Team’s gustatory senses no matter how many ingredients the poor girl threw in there.

The Fool seconded in surprise. “It’s like chewing on raw wheat gluten.”

“T-the taste is just too sophisticated for you!” the Priestess retorted, paling and having a loss of words at the panel judging of her culinary prowess. She eyed the Justice in hopes for salvation.

“It’s good!” the Justice beamed, currently polishing a few rice grains off her mouth.

Saved by an angel.

“Well, let’s try Satonaka’s next,” the Magician bellowed, taunting the meat skewer-loving girl in the process. He’s confident enough that the said girl will fail in epic proportions, as far as his experience last school camp was concerned.

“It’s totally awful!” the Star exclaimed, complete with his bishounen look and flowers sprouting everywhere. Seriously, how can one be so blooming and perky despite having a taste of a totally obnoxious mass of food?

The Chariot deflated on-the-spot. _Literally._

“Hahaha! Awful! Totally gruesome! How can you make this?” the Priestess stated in between her laughfest and rather unbecoming loss of finesse due to speaking when her mouth is full of, well, crap.

The Justice took a bite and said “It’s good too!” with the same enthusiasm like she had earlier.

The Chariot stared at Dojima-ochibi with glazed orbs. “Nanako-chan…”

However, the Death remained silent, seemingly brooding, but when you take a closer look, he’s eyeing the Fool’s orthodox ketchup-flavored omurice like a buzzard circling over a deer being devoured by a pride of lions.

“Let’s see how Rise-chan fared in this royal battle!” the Priestess muttered confidently and had a spoonful of the weird, unusually _red_ , sinister aura-leaking hell of a rice omelette. Fuck, it contained foie gras too.

You can actually hear a bell signalling an instant KO.

“Taken in one blow!” the Fool sweatdropped, thanking his lucky stars that he didn’t even _try_ to get even a nibble at the Lovers’ competition piece. The said girl then blabbered about how the whole crowd was still not of the right age to appreciate the pleasures of mature food (whatever the hell that was) and began tearing up _beautifully_. Hah, as expected of a teen idol, but the narrator digresses. However, Justice must prevail and bestow fair judgment towards the worthy and the otherwise.

“I-it’s a l-little spicy, but it’s good,” the mini-Dojima said, her eyes welling up too. Tch. A little spicy, eh? Someone will really get a scolding pretty soon. Don’t worry; the narrator isn’t really keen on breaking the fourth wall, if you might ask.

The Lovers instantaneously stopped her “acting”. Perhaps there was a clapper and a director screaming “CUT!” in the background.

“Crocodile tears?” the Death finally spoke, raising an eyebrow at the scene that just commenced. He sounded bored, but his expression afterwards told the contrary: he still hawked over the Fool’s work.

“I hate you, Haru-san,” she mock-pouted, pushing away the dish holding her concoction of the Priestess’ doom.

“But… Onii-chan’s is the best!” the younger Dojima announced, her tiny iron hands of Justice therefore bearing the conclusion of the fun and albeit messy food war by setting the spoon down after taking a bite.

“Time to dig in, ne Narukami?” Death chortled and swiped a huge chunk of the poor omurice, effectively earning him a glaring Magician, a still smiling Justice, and a surprised Fool who sported an expression as if saying “That’s totally expected, but hell, what’s with the feral look?”

* * *

The night went by, and chips were scattered across the coffee table of the Dojima household. Chuckles, giggles, and light-hearted conversations peppered the air around them. Despite the tribulations that they went through, this time around, the cases are over.

And outside, the Star was beaming, shining brighter than ever along with the mellow Justice, as if they were sharing a secret.

“Na, Yu…” the Magician interrupted the Fool’s observation mode. “You know how the shopping district is holding a festival? How about we go together?”

The latter thought a little and shot up with a shocked look for a second. Soon, he fiddled with his mobile in silence.

“Eh?” Jiraiya’s other interjected and raised an eyebrow, plastering a ‘What’s wrong with what I said?’ expression over his already stupid-looking face.

On the Hierophant’s lawn, a sharp gaze from Death sniped the oblivious Magician.

“Tch, why now of all times? I should’ve asked him earlier today…” he cursed under his breath, taking a long drag of smoke afterwards. Good thing Dojima-san had overtime work tonight. His bad influence streak will certainly go up a notch if he saw the detective within the vicinity.

“Are you saying something, Haru-chama?” the Star asked, complete with flowers and dreamy eyes.

“N-no. Nothing.”

The Magician’s phone went off, its owner scrambling at the vibration it sent through his pants’ pocket. The Fool had this playful spark in his gray eyes as his Hanamura-proclaimed partner spazzed and stood immediately to fish his mobile from his tight jeans.

“Ah. Alright, alright, I’ll get it!”

 _From: Aibou_  
Subject: Re: The Festival  
Message:

_Two things. First, I heard that there will be a festival from the school’s rumor mill. Second?_

_“How about we go together?” you said._

_Are you asking me on a date?_

Jiraiya’s mirror image paled instantly, eyes wide in putting two and two together.

“Of course, Yu! I m-mean of course not! I said ‘How about we _all_ go together?’, didn’t I?” the poor Magician explained, arms flailing in a hummingbird’s pace, getting flustered in the process.

“Yeah, that’s about right...”

The Fool flashed a hint of disappointment, but soon he replaced it with a smile. The Magician seemed relieved and hid his mobile before sitting next to his partner, scratching his brown locks.

“Sounds good to me, Yosuke.”

“Oh, Yosuke-nii just called Onii-chan Yu!”

After the Justice’s blatant observation, the duo looked at each other and simply grinned at the implicit conclusion: their bond just got closer.

“What? What? What’s going on? Would you tell me?” the Star immediately turned and crawled _cutely_ inside, not the one to miss the juicy details, whatever ‘juicy’ meant for him.

“None of your business!” the duo replied in unison; the Fool was smiling easily while the Magician seemed to sweat in bullets at the scanning gaze of the former Investigation Team’s raid backup.

“Oi, Bakamura. What was that all about?”

The Lovers glanced at the Headphones-senpai, her Yu-senpai, and the now brooding Shadow-senpai outside.

“This seems interesting. I won’t give up though! I swear it on my ultimate foie gras omurice!”

The Emperor rolled his eyes and shrugged. “You didn’t even touch it.”

“Man, this is _so_ going to be a long night,” the Magician sighed, crossing his arms and sunk towards the table’s edge.

* * *

Whew. That's a bit shorter than usual. Hope to have the omake posted within the week. I'll update as soon as I can.

My internet connection sucks right now and I can't do anything much but rant about it. Tough luck for me. Argh. Hell. Too much adult problems and I still have the urge to write? That's new. Hope I can get through all of this. I don't want to have our lot getting sold to others. I'm so clinging onto it so I'll hang in here and do whatever I can.

So much for that. Enjoy for now, even if this piece is and will always be unbeta'ed. The bonus Channel will be up since it's definitely a must for me to do them every  _single_ Scent.

\- Sakuraba Ryuichiro, burning his fifth cancer stick in a row

UPDATE: 7 May 2013

*Added the omake part  
*Did some minor checks  
*Fixed Rise's Haru-senpai to Haru-san for consistency  
  
There! Argh. After so long, my DSL connection is now up and working. More inspiration for me. Yay. Just snagged a home-based job and I’m currently running to and fro from the university and the internal revenue office to get my job requirements. I’m on a day-off though and as per usual, I wish to get a long Scent done before the end of the day. No MMORPG and other extra-curricular activities since the next chapter was waaaaaaaaay overdue. I hope I still have you guys around. Lol.

\- Sakuraba Ryuichiro, wolfing down a tall glass of ice scramble (shaved ice, milk, and vanilla whipped with a little air and a tinge of pink food coloring, topped with chocolate syrup and candy sprinkles)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Omake? It's up. My muse is back and I'm writing again.


	7. Chapter 7 - If You Doubt The One You Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summer is just around the corner. Misunderstandings may arise, hearts may be subtly broken. Despite all these, the warm breeze will remind Zero that he will always be closest to One.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo. It's been a long while, na? My DSL connection is up and kicking nowadays and hell, I've got a full-fledged work at home. Business is booming in the morning and I've got work at night. I can't even sleep well these days…
> 
> Anyway, this covers the summer vacation of the Investigation Team. Fortunately, there are no murders in this chapter; I miss writing those dark scenes but hey, I'll try to regain my sweet side (For a moment, I'm contemplating if I really have one…) when I wrote my first fanfic.
> 
> Welcome to the Scent of summer. Ahohohoho~
> 
> DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything aside from Kageyama Haru and his Second- and Third-Tier Persona. Whatever allusions you see here, they are from their respective owners.  
> Cross-posted on FFnet under Ryuichiro Sakuraba

**Scent 7: If You Doubt The One You Love**

_**The Empress' New Bra (Channel 3)** _

'Time' has no meaning after all.

Waiting in the plush velvet couch of this limousine for an indefinite amount of what humans call 'time' can be quite boring. I think I finished several flute glasses of bubbly champagne that I almost ordered a crate of it from Tanaka's Amazing Commodities showing blatantly on this sleek ride's mini-TV. For some reason too, whenever I take a nap, I see some sort of program despite the poor thing not being turned on.

Ah, the horror of it when I happened to set my eyes upon ah… What was it…swimsuit? How I wish I could step out of this ride and smell the scent of the sea wearing that instead of this meticulously-tailored outfit… Oh, wait. We are only traversing a seemingly never-ending street with only fog as our ages-old companion. Perhaps I should press the concierge button of this mobile phone and ask the ever-friendly customer service guy to have the GPS of this limo fixed? We might be able to visit the beach after that. My younger sister told me that she had requested for help when the elevator she occupied just creaked and whined; it turned out that the cogs of the said contraption wasn't well, ugh, what's the word… Lubricated?

Alas, my Master went out in an official business and left me all alone here. Not that I am complaining, but this is getting old – really fast. I cannot stay still and browse our beloved guest's Compendium; I believe I memorized it by heart. I particularly enjoyed watching the scenes of our guest with the Magician, Death, and Lovers, but I digress.

I tried to play fortune-telling too, but my cards aren't enough to get a proper reading. The long-nosed geezer took a deep blue deck from our stash so I am stuck with this incomplete yellow deck; he received that from his former guest who I have no record of, no matter how hard I try to check the database. Ah, pardon me; I must have forgotten. My little sister took the information with her in search for something. Ugh. She has been out of coverage area for quite a while too.

Oh…what was it now? Why wasn't I informed of this?

The Devil. The Temperance. The Hermit. The Tower.

Death thrums in the Compendium too.

They were flashing. I seriously believe I am getting a headache with this situation unravelling in front of me. It can be a drag. Add the fact that I need clean up this table of cluttered cards before I become the target of Igor-sama's lecture; he checks the CCTV recordings religiously. With that said, my commission might be jeopardized if I slack off. However, he does not scold me that much for he has this lazy bone in his anatomy as well. I'm just calling it quits.

Anyway, I am so getting a computer tablet and subscribe to a high-end connection plan when our guest happens to shell out a huge amount of yen to re-summon his earlier Personas for fusion. There might be an app for predicting Commu Link updates at the online store specifically made for my choice of unit.

Let us see… Oh, there it is. And there's an update for the Devil Summoning app and a Nicaea player for the HiPad II… That made me do some calculations on how much I _might_ spend. Or… Perhaps I should fetch a Handroyd-based tab with the latest Gummy Bear operating system instead? That reminds me… The latest devices can virtually digitize the _whole_ Compendium with a sync app. Well, that is _way_ better than lugging this huge book around. I might get sued by the higher ups when they see this; this mystical tome is kind of obsolete that they consider it a weapon of mass destruction. Ugh.

I suppose the universe is evolving. Remote Access to the Compendium is a great feature, but I think I will choose to have _this_ enormous grimoire in dire cases. Never trust the network coverage and wish for a stable connection at all scenarios. They are still in the process of upgrading the links. Who knows?

Speaking of the devil…

"Welcome to the Velvet Room," I said with my perpetual smile.

"Margaret-san. You look bored… Are you even getting enough sleep? I think you wanted to yawn as I materialized here. You didn't even answer the intercom," Narukami Yu verbosely pondered, concern seeping from his lopsidedly grinning expression.

I sighed and sunk in the couch. "I do not require sleep like humans do, Narukami-sama. To be honest, nothing exciting happened here for a while. Now that you are here, perhaps things might get…"

I put my phone on the table and let my hands sit on my lap.

"…a little interesting?"

Our guest shifted uneasily in his seat, scratching his locks. "You think so, Margaret-san? Um… How do I explain this…"

"You do not have to be reluctant. Tell me what distresses you and I might be able to see what I can do. That alone is our purpose here after all; be it recovering old Personas and-slash-or fusing them to gain an upper hand in your battles."

Narukami sighed and hung his head low. I wonder what happened. I came across his several masks when he is tired or simply fuming at how _seemingly_ weak he was(given that I was telling him over and over that he has great potential; he is _so_ stubborn like that), but never _ever_ undecided and jumpy.

"The case was solved some time ago, and if by any chance…"

So that was it. I am deeply saddened that he might not be using our services anymore but due to Master's orders, I still exist. Hmmm. In any case, Narukami-sama's here for a reason, and my job description involved hearing him out.

He fiddled with some imaginary lint on his trousers before casting that mind-shattering Megidolaon.

"…do you know what yukata would make me look, ugh, presentable?"

I believe that our beloved guest had grown two extra heads. What in the Hell's Edifice is a yukata? Oh, right. How about I test run this app and post a user review later? That would help others decide if this is worth their hard-earned Macca.

"Anou, Margaret-san?" our guest inquired, staring at how my nimble fingers abuse the touchscreen of my delinquent unit. I should _really_ get a new one or this might fall off the seams.

Keroberos version 3.2, could you please lend me a hand?

Four heads are better than one – theoretically speaking.

_**Magical Detective… Loveline! (Channel 8)** _

Another day! Time to watch TV more! Oh, it's going to be a little cloudy today yet it will be warm… Should I ask Onii-chan for cold soba later?

Footsteps came and there is Onii-chan, wearing his newly-pressed shirt and holding a number of books. He's still reviewing when it's certainly a nice day? Not that I am the one to talk, but Onii-chan told me to relax and enjoy the vacation; he promised me that he would certainly help me do my homework a week before the next term comes in so I should take it easy. He ought to stay back and enjoy the summer break too; but that is not the case, I believe.

Mou… Onii-chan always gets home late… He surely spends too much time outside and he seldom sleeps in. Sure, he did help me with the laundry yesterday but that's about it…

"I'm going out now," big brother said rather tiredly, slinking out of the front door, not even turning around to see me.

"Mm. Take care Onii-chan," I responded a little glumly.

I have been worried about him for quite some time now..? Of course, as a little sister, I ought to be.

Onii-chan… I shouldn't be thinking about bad things. He ran to me when I went home all wet because I lent my Loveline umbrella to a poor fox near Tatsuhime Shrine the other day so I suppose he's still the kind and, um, 'motherly' Onii-chan I knew for months.

…right?

* * *

" _Tch. Nanako, why did you end up drenched in the rain?" Onii-chan sighed, fluffing my hair with a towel._

_I sneezed a few times before I set my tofu purchase on the kitchen table. Mou… I might get a cold…_

" _Um… I kinda lost my umbrella on the way home…"_

_Onii-chan canted his head sideways and nodded. "Seems like it, huh? I'm running the warm water. You should go take a bath or you might catch a cold. Take it easy for today."_

_He soon went away, muttering to himself how he would explain this to Otou-san. Sorry… I messed up big time…_

* * *

The TV rambled about the news and soon...

" _If you doubt the one you love, solve the case promptly with the power of magic! Leave the investigating to me! I'm the Magical Detective… Loveline!"_

Just about right. I need to find out what makes Onii-chan weird this time around.

* * *

"Eh? Nana-chan?" Kuma-san tapped my back and tried to call out Onii-chan's retreating form. Oh no! My cover will be blown! I shouldn't panic! After all…

"Shhh…" I hushed, pulling the sleeve of his shirt gently to hide him from my big bro if he happened to turn around and look our way. "I'm the Magical Detective Loveline…"

Kuma-san raised an eyebrow. "But you're Nana-chan… right? My nose told me so."

I fought the urge to be sad because the next time I peeked from our hiding wall, Onii-chan was nowhere to be seen. Not even his shadow… Perhaps he made a left around that corner…

"Mou… I think I lost track of him."

His blue eyes sparkled with glee, clasping his hands together over his chest. He's so shiny; I'm seeing flowers and stars everywhere.

Maybe it's just my imagination?

"So that's how it is! We're playing Stalking Sensei, right? Just leave it to me Nana-chan!"

…forty-five minutes later, this operation became a Wild Onii-chan Chase. Kuma-san 'smelled' the steak croquettes at Souzai Daigaku and drooled at first sight of it. We were so close too! But then again, I got a little hungry too so with a few change in my pocket, I thought Kuma-san deserved one as a token of appreciation. He did help me after all. Taking a break is part of being a hero too.

"Oi Nagase, the magical detective can't see the display. Move it, will you?" a young man said, his face scrunched up with annoyance, crossing his arms to further get his point across.

Hey… You arrived here before us. First come, first served.

The other male scratched the back of his head and flashed a weak smile. "Ah, sorry Loveline-chan… Come on, take a pick. We'll get ours after you," he even _bowed_ and earned a grin from his companion. The brown-haired guy reminded me of Yosuke-nii; he seemed strong and looks dependable.

However… I didn't understand their logic.

At least something good happened today.

My cover was flawless.

* * *

Days passed and still, there was no improvement. My costume got filthy after a few chases that I needed to chuck them to the laundry for once. Onii-chan seems to know ninja moves; he always got out of my sight after a few seconds.

Out of nothing to do (I lost track of Onii-chan again a few moments ago), I figured that it was too hot to continue investigating so I entered Junes to hang out for a bit despite knowing the fact that I might be alone for a while.

"Well, if it isn't Nanako-chan! What are you doing this boring summer day?" an excited yet tired voice called out from behind. It was definitely Yosuke-nii. He took off his work apron and slumped at an empty chair beside me.

My vision got blurry due to the heat but all of a sudden, a cooling sensation hit my forehead. Oh, royal milk tea.

"I kinda bought one without thinking. Force of habit, I guess," Yosuke-nii started, chuckling animatedly. "Forgot that Yu seemed busy these days. Here, enjoy," he explained, setting the plastic bottle in front of me and twisted the cap of his sour lemon soda. They surely love that tangy drink now that I had observed closely.

I expected that the cap might be tight; however, Yosuke-nii did the tough work before I might've asked. Taking a sip, I sighed and queried my slightly-sweaty 'brother'.

"Nee Yosuke-nii, do you have any idea where Onii-chan might be going to? We never talked much these days aside from him bidding me goodbye and announcing that he arrived from somewhere," I blabbered, doing scribbles on the sweaty side of the bottle. "He forgets to eat dinner sometimes too, and he's having those raccoon eyes lately."

Oops. Wrong move.

Yosuke-nii's eyes narrowed and immediately transformed from tired to attentive. I could say that he might be a little angry? That looked melted in an instant, like Otou-san usually does when he's having trouble at work.

"Care to fill me in, Nanako-chan?" he asked, his tone light, but his other hand fishing for his phone from his pants pocket and tapping the screen furiously told me the otherwise.

Before I could finish the details of the lengthy story I happened to encounter recently, Onii-chan's friends arrived pretty soon – all of them. We ended up snacking at their HQ (as they fondly called it) and settled down before discussing the plan for today.

"So, what's the fuss about, Bakamura?" Chie-neesan spoke in between huge bites of steak. Yukiko-nee picked on her veggies and handed her best friend a napkin which she snatched hurriedly.

"Hana-senpai," Kanji-san groaned, munching on a few animal crackers. "Isn't this a little overkill? It's Naru-senpai that we're talking about here. He won't do anything to worry Nanako as far as I know."

Haru-san was also ready to flee the group. "Perhaps he's just busy with his summer job. We all need spending money and this is the best time to earn some," he explained, fanning himself by pulling the chest area of his black wifebeater tank repeatedly.

Kuma-san returned, bringing a few Topsicles in tow.

"Maybe he's scoring with some hot stud!" he exclaimed, licking the frozen treat very slowly.

I wonder why the two girls and Haru-san had the look that most villains in those TV programs have when they spotted the hero. Rise-san had this gleam in her eyes that I had no idea what was running in her mind.

Soon, Kuma-san's phone rang and he escaped quickly. And he didn't return.

"Well, seems like we're the only ones to do the operation. Who's in?" Yosuke-nii started, leaning his elbows on the edge of the table.

"I'm in! It's Yu-senpai stalking after all!"

"Nee, Yukiko? Should we?"

"I am quite intrigued about Narukami-kun's activities…"

"You have a lot of time in your hands, Hanamura."

"Geez, at least it would kill boredom, Hana-senpai."

Yosuke-nii got them all in less than an hour. I think Onii-chan's charm was rubbing off on him. Good or bad, time will tell. The heat was overwhelming, but it won't let our spirits down.

Let's reach out to the truth!

Magical Detective Loveline gained an alliance!

Mission Start!

* * *

_**A Shadow's Love Song (Channel 13)** _

Since Junes was out of the question, splitting up was a very good tactic to employ. We don't have Kuma's nose to do the job (for he ended up sniffing steak croquettes instead as Nanako-chan stated) and this wasn't the TV world where Rise could exploit her Persona for reconnaissance. The three girls went off on their own, leaving me with Tatsumi, Hanamura and Nana-, erm, I mean Magical Detective Loveline.

Roaming the shopping district earlier led to zero results, and checking out the locations near Yasogami High would yield nothing since there were no classes this time. Who would hang out near an empty school?

It's turning mid-afternoon and I wonder how this search would turn up.

"Okay, here's the deal; Yu never stays home during daytime and always arrives late," Hanamura pondered, kicking a random rock along the barren path on the floodplain. "Any thoughts about it?"

"Maa. Thinking doesn't suit me," Tatsumi scoffed, chewing on some gum while resting his hands behind his head. "If it's manual labor, then I might consider it."

"Yeah, I figured. Sorry I asked," Hanamura waved his hand while sighing for no reason.

"Say what now, Hana-senpai?!"

"Relax," I interrupted, seeing that it might come to a point where this search would be futile if we didn't focus. "Magical Detective Loveline said he usually carries books, sometimes an apron, and in most cases, nothing. Did I get that right?" I turned my head to our little companion who nodded in the affirmative.

"So that means he's having some part-time work. I mean, who goes out on a date wearing an apron or carrying a ton of books?"

Hanamura raised an eyebrow and sent me a quizzical look.

"What now, Hanamura?"

Despite the confused expression, Narukami's leech emanated an aura of something that I couldn't put a finger on.

"For a second, you sounded as if you're quite angry."

Was I? Tch. Maybe.

Yu-chan hanging out with Hanamura was something that I could stomach for it's a regular thing now; going out with someone I _don't even know_ irritates me.

I'm acting like a pissed boyfriend. Kami-sama forgive me.

"Nah, I'm just curious." I replied, trying my best to erase the dark aura from my tone.

"Okay..?"

Hanamura looked as if he wanted to ask more, but he dropped it soon after. I'm saved.

Traversing this long floodplain during a hot day like this made me think of skinny dipping at the riverside. Mm. If only Yu-chan will approve…

"…shhh." Tatsumi shushed, his hand beckoning us to his side silently.

With him working as Loveline's bodyguard, they went off sneaking into some random bush near the gazebo by the end of the floodplain's path, leaving me and Hanamura trailing behind. Hm. Target spotted?

"Kage-senpai, you won't believe this."

The thicket was bristly and a little itchy but I paid no heed. I just literally choked at the view.

Situated at a bench was Yu-chan, wearing a damn apron, and speaking to an obviously middle-aged woman, complete with a bouquet of cut flowers sitting neatly on his lap.

Fuck. It's one of those rare times when I failed in my assumptions.

"So that's what keeps Onii-chan busy," Loveline commented, nodding her head sagely while gently gripping her talking magical stick. "I get it."

"Whoa, and that woman has a kid!" Hanamura whispered, his hushed tone never hiding his incredulous discovery – that Yu-chan is hanging out not only with a gal, but with his little boy as well. Rubbing it on my face much? Yeah, even those Mayonaka TV glasses couldn't make this scene any clearer.

I lost. Big time. I'm certainly no match to a nice lady who had a kid to boot. Damn, he was able to make her smile too. Rise will hyperventilate if she got the wind of it.

"Hm. I think we should close this investigation," I said calmly. "What do you say, Hanamura?"

The headphones boy nodded silently before stepping back, retrieving his phone from his pocket and tapping it slowly. "Sure. C'mon, no more reason to stay here."

"Of course, Hana-senpai. Besides, my old lady will go ballistic if I didn't come home before dinner," Tatsumi shrugged, perhaps thinking that our work is done. "Should we tell the girls?"

"For now, no," Hanamura responded too quickly. "We'll tell them soon, but not today."

Loveline smiled. "I believe this is what kept him busy. I'm just worried, but as his little sister, I'll support him from the sidelines. Thank you for accompanying me."

"Gotcha. Oh, I'll take Nanako-chan to the shopping district. I've got some plushies for her as well," the brawler said, judging that she might need some alone time later so joining her would be the best option until the time they needed to split and go to their respective homes.

"That'll be fine. Thanks for the effort, Tatsumi." Hanamura seconded, us joining the two before they went on their way to Moel.

That left us walking through the tunnel to the other side of town. Silence reeked between us and we didn't have the qualms to shatter it.

"Nee, senpai," this kouhai started, putting his hands inside his pockets. "You surely don't read your messages that much, do you?"

That made me check my phone and oh, there's one mail.

_Are you okay?_

"Of course. What's this all about?"

Yeah, I lied. I totally understand what you're talking about. I'm the king of feigning innocence – and ignorance for that matter.

"If you say so. I just thought you looked down for a while," he explained, chuckling weakly at his assumption, whatever that was. "Nonetheless, today's operation was a success. I don't know how you would take it though."

You had no idea.

"We both know that Risette will be quite a handful, how about we celebrate today's results like the team usually does?" Hanamura queried, getting his wallet and counting his funds. "We had an eat-out after the last Mayonaka encounter so let's have like, another eat-all-you-can?"

I have a feeling that he's trying to console me. Is he psychic or something? Hell, I'm his senpai; it's my job to do the comforting, not the other way around. Besides, I need to release this tension or else I might break. This is just too much.

"That breaks the senpai-kouhai code. My treat if you're in for a sake night then."

Hanamura got surprised. "You sure, senpai? We're underage. There's no point going to Okina as well since the bars there won't admit people below twenty."

"You did it with Narukami the other day. Anyway, I'm quite sure my aunt wouldn't mind a friend visiting."

* * *

"Sanae-san… Stop suffocating the poor thing."

Crap. I forgot to warn Hanamura that my aunt's a Junes fan too.

"But Haru-kun! The Prince of Junes is here! How exciting~" she squealed but soon halted her hug-attack and wiggled her index finger at us.

"Just don't puke anywhere, okay? It's hard to clean that mess when it seeps through those tiny gaps between the flooring. Be responsible enough boys," she continued, opting to use her deadly tone if something went out of hand. Yeah, yeah, I know the drill. With that, she set a small tray of finger food on the floor and headed to the main house to watch her drama reruns.

We settled outside my room, at the hallway facing a small garden. It was a hot day, so staying inside my confined space would not be conducive for, well, underage drinking.

Before I could even pry the cap off from the good stuff, Hanamura's mobile wailed.

" _Senpai! Yu-senpai is going out with an old lady! And they're at a bar near the shopping district even! And she's flailing like an octopus with a beer mug in hand! Can you believe that?"_

I was glad that Rise didn't call me first. I could hear her yapping even if the poor kouhai's phone wasn't on speakerphone mode. Being abused with Yu-chan's actions twice in a row could yield pretty nasty results. What those outcomes are, I am not inclined to know.

"Alright, alright. We knew. We found out earlier."

" _I think I'll let Yuki- and Chie-senpai in the loop! Bye!"_

…I could hear the rumor mill spinning once more.

"That was fast," I tried to laugh it off, but Hanamura angrily chucked his phone inside his pocket.

"Geez, what's with girls? It's not that they will die if they knew that Yu is going out with somebody else instead of them," he remarked in exasperation, scratching his head in annoyance. After a few moments, his eyes widened and suddenly looked embarrassed.

"Uh, sorry about that senpai," he grinned sheepishly, chuckling rather uneasily. Well, I was somewhat hit by that remark, but hell, that's how it is. No use crying over spilled milk – or sake. Also, I cannot shake the idea that Hanamura might know about my _former_ relationship with Yu-chan. However, unless they're _really_ close, he won't speak a thing. Charge it from experience. Argh. I must be treading on thin ice. Acting pathetic over trivial matters and your kouhai noticing it will spoil my image.

But…was Yu-chan's confession trivial to begin with?

Ah, it's been a while since I drank. I wished I was with Yu-chan, just like the old days, but nah, that won't happen anytime soon. Offering a full sake cup to my guest, I lit a cigarette and let my tensed shoulders relax.

"What's there to apologize about?" I raised an eyebrow as Hanamura reciprocated my act. For an underage guy, he knew how to start a drinking session.

"Uhm, nothing."

Sure. It doesn't mean that I'll believe it though.

A good half-hour passed and we were having a good time talking about random stuff when another annoying call went through Hanamura's phone. How many people knew his number? I'm smelling a Casanova Grande here.

Wait, I think Kuma's influencing me.

Anyway, this time it was Amagi.

They talked for a while and the headphones boy chuckled awkwardly and set his phone on the wooden floor.

"I can't believe that Yu's a riot! He's going out with three women at once!" he exclaimed, picking up his shot and drank it without hesitation.

Karma can hit you hard. I couldn't help but feel guilty about it. No matter how I phrase it or find better words to say it, nothing would change a certain fact.

…I broke his heart first.

Hanamura calmed down a bit and took another swig of sake. "Amagi happened to stumble upon the floodplain to catch Yu hanging out with a really old woman by the riverbank. Add the fact that our idol's rumor beacon will surely warn the female community about Yu's antics."

"Was that even possible?"

"You know the girls. Everyone's smitten with him. He draws people to him without difficulty," he replied, cracking a few joints of his neck and stretching his legs lazily on the wooden floor.

That managed to crack me up a bit.

"Haha. Seems like it. He was a little like that before. I never knew he found his ways to attract women," I remarked. It scares me how easy it is for me to say it. As if it wasn't a problem to start with.

The darkness cloaked the surroundings and the sake bottle would be done in four rounds tops. Cicadas cricked, reminding us that we surely took the liberty of talking about random stuff.

Hanamura's not bad at all. Despite his clumsiness and apparent idiocy, he has his moments too. Satonaka might be amazed if this Bakamura person would somehow express his thoughts in detail. And he has it tough in the 'scoring with girls' department. Hm. I might go easy on him next time. Perhaps this is the alcohol talking, but hell, I really had a good time.

"It's getting late," Hanamura said giddily, flashing a slightly inebriated smile as he bowed. "I'd love to talk more, but Kuma's a handful if he'd be left unattended at home. I'll see you at school, Kageyama-senpai."

With that, I saw him off and headed to the main house, complete with the clutter that we had earlier. The night is still young, but for some reason, I'm lazy to do anything in particular. Damn, it's my turn to do the dishes tonight.

Something just clicked.

As my thoughts wandered once more when I did the dishes, I couldn't help how Hanamura just fit to be the one closest to Yu-chan like a boxing glove.

* * *

_**Shuffle Time! (Channel 0)** _

Juggling several part-time jobs burned me out. Doting over Nanako is always fun, despite the total energy-sapping it does. It's worse than having the Enervation status while raiding Mayonaka TV, but Nanako's smile – absolutely worth it.

Oji-san will throw a fit if he got the wind of my little sister losing her Loveline umbrella. That thing being expensive was not the issue; she went home all wet and she had a slight fever that day. Judging uncle's future reaction, he might snap and rant about Nanako being careless. Of course he would be worried, but the poor girl might take it differently. She had been through difficult times these past few months; that could fracture this unconventional family setup which we were trying to stabilize as much as we could.

Speaking of expensive stuff, the price of a Phoenix Ranger Featherman R figure was way off the charts. It's annoying how a simple toy would cost a small fortune. Day care kids are fun to be with, but they could be silly little devils if they put their heart to it.

Ah, the summer festival happens tonight. I can taste the takoyaki from my mind. Funny, but I look forward to it despite the tiredness that I'm feeling now. Tutoring finished early this afternoon. My student needs to have time for fun. Poor kid only thought that studying the only life that he had. Getting jealous over other young boys playing was understandable. No man is an island.

Friends. Everybody needs one.

…what's with this dramatic silent monologue anyway?

Okay. Now that I bought the Loveline umbrella due to a certain fox's request, I went to the shrine to leave it there. Fox-san yipped happily and shooed me away (at least that's what I understood – I'm not fluent in fox-speak), a black permanent marker in its mouth. Huh?

It's weird, but if you happen to be in a group who can stick their hands into a TV, nothing will faze you that much anymore.

The air's humid nowadays. The scent of summer permeates the atmosphere, making me a little uncomfortable. It can make you sweat a lot, and that's somewhat nasty. Taking a shower twice or thrice a day consumes too much water. I wish we had an inflatable pool in the backyard…

Oops. I forgot that the team will go out to watch the fireworks later. But I still have a number of things to do…

"Oi, Yu!"

Shit. It's still early out yet Tatsumi, Kuma, and Yosuke are hanging out at Shiroku's shaved ice stand. Kakigori sounds delectable. I want a matcha one.

No! Sweet things won't destroy my determination! Narukami Yu, fight!

"Nee, aibou, you don't look too hot. What happened?" Yosuke asked, hand on his hip and head canted slightly, seemingly curious at my annoyingly haggard visage.

Target spotted!

"Huh? Where are you going, Naru-senpai?"

…wait. Why is Haru-senpai with Kuroda-san?

Anyway, might as well get this done and over with. I excused myself and ran towards senpai's direction.

Kuroda-san smiled gently and he gaze lifted when I approached them.

"Ara, Yu-chan. I had a feeling that we will meet again. I didn't realize it would be _this_ soon," she said, her raspy voice tinkling like bells. For that reason, I believe I really did sound like her husband in his younger days.

"You know each other, obaa-san?" Haru-senpai asked curiously, his calculating eyes scanning me like Kujikawa's Persona. Awkward…

She giggled a little and placed her hand on senpai's arm. "We've seen each other for quite a while now. He's a real gentleman too," she paused a bit and tilted her head to look at me. "What brings you here, Yu-chan?"

"This."

A comb, its simple look made itself shine despite its apparent age. Pretty well made too; it was submerged for a few days under the Samegawa river but the lacquer kept it in tip-top shape. Quite an artisan's work, methinks.

Kuroda-san's eyes widened, shocked at the item I held in front of her eyes. "…how?"

Of course I wouldn't mention that sleepless night I tried to reel the river guardian to have it back. She's down lately and I wouldn't like to let her feel bad about what she did.

I know Haru-senpai's raising an eyebrow at me but he didn't say anything.

"Important things deserve to be held close to you. You taught me that. Perhaps you didn't really want to let this thing slip from your grasp," I explained, smiling a bit. Hell, I must look awful for she doesn't respond. I lowered it so she can reach for it easily.

"Please take it. You looked a little sad when you threw it away so I did my best to get it back."

Tears. Whether of joy or resignation, I don't know. But the way she held it and her litany of relief made everything clear.

She still loved her husband more than I could ever imagine.

Sometimes, words just get in the way. Actions speak louder than those. With a wave, Kuroda-san smiled and ushered Haru-senpai to accompany her, the two walking to some stall and senpai getting flustered about something out of earshot.

Oh well.

One down! One more to go!

…now what?

Shu is running? With a brown melon? He's surely appeared athletic. Why didn't he tell me? We could've played two-man tag during our breaks. Oh, it's his birthday today. Sensei bought a gift for him. Sure, he gets lonely for being such the class bookworm, but he should take the initiative, right? Communication is a two-way process. If you want something, just blurt it out.

I chased him. I want a gummy bear…but this is more important.

"Shu!"

Good thing he chose a secluded area. A nice place for confessing undying love, but meh, that's just me being romantic. This isn't a shotacon story, so I'll cut the crap.

It turns out that he stole some fireworks because nobody wanted to hang out with him tonight. I could understand that; who wants to be alone in their birthday?

"Here. Happy Birthday, Shu." I handed him a go set.

He was stunned. "What's this sensei?"

"A game. You can't play it alone."

"But I…"

I flashed my sensei-smile. Too bad Kuma isn't here. "Then you have to ask them next time, ne?"

Ah, tears again. Why do I make people cry so much today? It isn't even funny.

We're supposed to return the said fireworks when I saw Yuu-kun with his mother at the kiosks scattered near the shrine. Ah, what a happy sight.

…or maybe not.

Crap! The world must hate me a lot. Kami-sama, please let me have rest for a while.

An emergency is not what I expected. Minami-san fell, unconscious, with a gash on her head bleeding profusely. I could imagine how unsettling this scenario could be to Yuu-kun. I couldn't stay put.

I've gotta do something.

Amidst Yuu-kun's wailing, it's best to cushion Minami-san's head or it would get worse. It should also be at a higher elevation compared to the heart so it wouldn't bleed much. Uehara-san taught me well.

Right! She would be the best one to ask how to deal with this.

" _Naru-chan! How rare it is for you to call me. Is –"_

"Uehara-san! Someone's bleeding in the head! Please tell me what to do!"

" _Wait a sec. What's going –"_

"Please!"

A sigh.

" _Understood,"_ she said with urgency. I'm so glad I saved her number when she gave it to me without me even asking. _"First, bandage the wound with a long material. Don't put too much pressure. Tourniquets aren't suitable for head injuries. Press on the wound gently but firmly."_

"I'm on it!"

Long material, long material, long… There!

Ebihara is such a lifesaver!

"Yu, what're you doing there?"

I rushed at her, aiming for her scarf. Sorry but I desperately need that. I'll accompany you to shop next time. But for now, please!

"Ebi, let me borrow this for a while!"

She caved in immediately, noticing my distress. "You don't look too good, Yu. But here, take this."

Alright! First step done!

" _Now, keep it cool. A makeshift ice pack will do."_

Minimizing circulation, huh? Got it. Yosuke and the rest were having kakigori at Shiroku's stall. Great! It's nearby, just two rows away. However, the only thing is they ran out of ice. Tch. Where can I get some?!

"Hey, Narukami!" Nagase exclaimed, holding a phone on his hand. "Care to join us?"

It's a given that Ichijo is with him too. Being the more sensitive one, he noticed my distress. "Yo, Narukami. What's happening?"

"I need ice. Badly. Shiroku ran out of the stuff when I need it the most."

Nagase nodded. "I see. I didn't know you craved for kakigori to even be alarmed about it."

Talk about dense. He's called an idiot for a reason. Sorry for the term, Nagase.

"But fear not! I took the liberty to request for a delivery! It should be here in a few! Thank Satonaka for telling me that Aiya delivers _anywhere_!" he continued, laughing at his apparent brilliance.

Man, I can see you in a new light now.

Soon enough, Aika-chan arrived with the much-sought item – a huge block of ice inside her noodle transport container.

I briefly explained the situation to the two in haste and Ichijo offered be his neatly-folded handkerchief. I'm praying that it's washed properly or I'll sic Ebi on him. Club managers are strict when it comes to hygiene.

Step two done! It's all up to Minami-san now. Good thing the bleeding stopped; the wound's blood clotted nicely and her breathing is stable now.

Yuu-kun's relieved cries eased the tension that was building up earlier. Minami-san woke up and behold. Yuu-kun addressed her as his mother. All that's well ends well. This is the first time I've been into a festival with such…festivities.

"It seems that she'll be fine now. Let me patch her up," Uehara-san said, taking over my handiwork. "Good work today, Naru-chan."

"Thank you, Uehara-san. Your training menu served its purpose well."

She winked at me playfully.

"I know right. Should I give you a _reward_?"

…oh shit. Where did I put that melon?

* * *

Saaaaaaafe! Melon recovery and transport, success!

"Thank you very much, sensei!"

"Thank you for letting me recover my memories."

"Sensei, thank you very much."

"You helped me remember things I lost sight of long ago. Thank you."

I'm feeling really tired now after that adrenaline rush. Running to and fro, dealing with people and talking a lot just to have things done…but it's worth the effort, right?

I promised Nanako to see the fireworks later with the team. However, they didn't seem to be around. Good thing I ran into my little sister in the process.

"It's good that you're able to make then smile, onii-chan!" Nanako said cutely while watching the sky illuminate with different colors. I could stay like this forever.

"Loveline has been stalking you for a while now, and she found out that you hang out with older women too!"

I somehow feel nervous about the way she put it.

"Don't worry! I'll keep it a secret! I mean, a hero never gives out their identity unless the story needs it, right?"

Good thing I am way taller than her or she could see how uneasy I am. I'm a bad onii-chan! I'm sorry!

Bzzt.

Ah, my phone. I wonder who's calling now?

Hm. It's Amagi.

"Hey Nanako, Yukiko-oneechan wants to speak with you."

* * *

Summer breeze never felt any better – especially if it goes across your skin so easily. I've never imagined that I would publicly wear a garment which I'm only accustomed to when taking a bath. Damn Yosuke for giving Nanako crazy ideas.

" _I can't wait seeing you in a yukata, Nanako-chan!"_

Apparently, seeing as Nanako wanted Yosuke to be her husband someday, she said yes without second thoughts. And on top of that, siblings should be coordinated. That explains why I'm wearing such a thing.

It's tradition, I know. That doesn't make it any less awkward though.

"Wai! Nanako-chan is so adorable!" Satonaka cried, restraining herself from pinching Nanako's cheeks.

True. She's _absolutely_ adorable. Her pink palette suited her, making her cuteness factor increase by 300%. It's so cute on her that it's almost illegal.

Dressing up was a mix of heaven and hell though. The girls adamantly invited themselves in the Dojima household to help fix Nanako's clothes and hair – and to bug me about my escapades during my ordeals. Nanako zipped her mouth shut and killed off any speculations with a cute smile and 'It's a secret between siblings!' The poking stopped instantaneously.

Never underestimate the power of cuteness.

…it was alarming how my little sister knew how to use a concealer stick (I'm suspecting it's Kujikawa's lessons) because she said my raccoon eyes makes me less pretty.

Oh my. Nanako's growing up fast.

…wait. Me? Pretty?

What are they teaching to my precious sister? And she even suggested to Amagi to have my hair done for my eyes were blocking my vision. Ah. I haven't got my hair trimmed ever since I arrived here.

Point taken.

However, since when did I become these three's dress-up doll? I was about to give them a piece of my mind, but alas, it was already time to head out and meet the rest of the gang.

I complimented Nanako's for pulling out the summer festival look with flying colors. "You look great."

I so want to take her home! Oh, we're staying under the same roof. Don't get your mind on the gutters.

"Yu-senpai looks dashing too!" Kujikawa squealed, flailing her arms elegantly, if that was even possible. "Nanako-chan is great at fixing his dark eye circles too!"

"Not without all of your help!" Nanako giggled and held on my hand tighter. It's nice having this. It feels like the murders didn't happen in the first place. I wish this will last.

I swear I'm hallucinating when we reached our meeting place.

"You're still eating? You finished off a ton of Topsicles earlier!" Hanamura scoffed, restraining himself from hitting Kuma's head.

"Is it a problem?" the team mascot responded as if concerned, albeit holding two frankfurter skewers that will be devoured pretty soon.

Tatsumi huffed and placed his hands on his hips. "Don't blame me if you get sick again. Hmph."

"I agree," Haru-senpai seconded, his mouth equipped with a cigarette-looking chocolate candy.

No, it's not the exchange that astounded me.

Here was Yosuke, in a dark gray yukata with a design akin to water ripples, chest area peeking nicely. On top of that, he pinned the left side of his hair too, showing his angular face more.

Shit. I'm not supposed to stare.

"Sorry we took so long!" Satonaka announced, rousing the four's attention.

Hey! You didn't even count from one to three before you did that! No fair!

"It took a while getting _everyone_ dressed," Amagi added, putting more fuel into the fire. Go figure.

"Looking good huh!" Yosuke crooned, his eyes scanning all of us. As if I was expecting he would look at me just a little bit longer than anyone else.

…no. Not today. No weird thoughts today, please.

"Everyone's pretty!" Kuma, as per usual, screamed with remorse. I know you wanted to score so badly. Please spare your sensei. I hope you're your 'everyone' didn't include _me_.

"Alright. How about we check out the shops here?" Haru-senpai suggested. Despite his cool exterior, his voice told me the otherwise.

Of course I would notice. He's excited too. Festivals never get this elaborate in the city.

Shopping and eating festival food with friends was a lot better than I had imagined. Dodging people to minimize food spills, fighting over who's going to try goldfish scooping first, teasing each other for the prizes won at a lottery booth took my mind off the stress of the cases and the never-ending part-time jobs.

Then I noticed when I was holding Nanako's left hand, and Yosuke gently grasping the other, that hey, he's breathtaking.

Yosuke grew a few centimeters over the past few months; we're almost, if not the same, height. With that geta he wore for tonight, he loomed about three centimeters higher. I need to look up a bit when I talked to him. Wearing a dark-colored article made him look mature for his age – and he was a little in character as well. He talked a little softer, refrained from shouting a lot despite Satonaka's teasing and Amagi's laughter barrage, and rivalled me on doting Nanako.

I admit that I'm attracted to Yosuke. Oh well.

"Hey, thanks for taking care of her for me," oji-san spoke out of nowhere. Amazing. I didn't even notice where he came from. That means I'm distracted. _Really distracted_.

"Ah, oji-san. I thought you had work?" I queried. He didn't call the house phone earlier.

…now I see. Surprising Nanako eh?

"Yeah. But Adachi exists for a reason. I wouldn't pass up on the festival," he answered, squatting down to be at eye-level with Nanako. "My precious one shouldn't have all the fun," he continued with a grin.

Yosuke and I cannot surpass his charm on Nanako though.

"They bought me cotton candy! Want some?" his daughter squealed, brandishing the pack with glee.

Oji-san raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Did they? Oh sure. How about we go to the shooting booth?"

"That's great! Let's win a platypus, otou-san!"

Nanako let go of our hands and clung to her father. Brothers understand. It's seldom enough to have him at home so it would be best to let them have some bonding time.

Ah, my hand feels a little empty, but the warmth of family still lingers there.

"Now, you guys have fun."

"I'll see you later onii-chan, Yosuke-nii!"

And off they go. Yay.

"It's night-time at the festival, a couple leans up to each other. Unaccustomed to wearing a yukata, it spills open. Oh summer…"

One bear's mouth can really break the ice. Like Mabufula.

Yosuke, however, is unabashed. "What's with suddenly throwing poetic lines?" he almost snapped, moving his arm a bit.

…his fingers brushed against mine for a heartbeat. Crap. Okay, since no Nanako as a barrier, it's bound to happen.

What am I getting flustered about? It's just Yosuke.

"That means it's only natural for us to pair up and enjoy the mood! Ooh la la!" the mascot exclaimed, moaning the last part like tacky syrup.

Things would go downhill; it's the idol's positive response that fuelled the bear's suggestion into fruition. In the end, he 'scored' with all the girls, taking them around the festival area _alone_.

I'll take note of that.

"It can't be helped, na?" Yosuke sighed but recovered instantly.

Huh?

I'm looking forward to have time with the guys, like eating a lot (since I barely ate when I got home these days) or pigging out on kakigori.

"Tatsumi, does your shop have a stall in the festival tonight?" Haru-senpai asked casually?

"Yes, Kage-senpai," our brawler replied, quizzical look appearing on his face. "Why did you ask? You want something from there?"

"I'm thinking of getting a scarf for it will get chilly next month."

"Hm. I think we do."

With that, senpai nodded and got a new chocolate cigarette from his pack. "I'm borrowing him for a bit. Let's meet sometime later."

Conversations about plushies and textile-related stuff littered their walk away from us. What is everyone thinking these days? I was out of the loop for a several days and this thing sort of happens?

Crap.

Alone. With Yosuke.

I don't know if I will be happy about it or not.

"Nee, aibou. It's been quite a while since I've got you alone, na?" my partner-proclaimed right-hand man asked rhetorically.

Indeed, it has.

No part-time work. No hassles to take care of.

Margaret-san's opinion worked wonders for a reason I can't put my finger on.

It made the heat awkwardly comfortable. It made the summer breeze almost taste of candy apples for the first time.

* * *

_**O-nyaa-ke~ *heart!* (Channel 14344)** _

_Nyaa~latoteph! has been updated successfully (v2.435)._

_View video feeds?_ **YES** NO

* * *

**JUNES01.np4**

"Bakamura! What's taking you so long?!"

"Chie… Shouting won't change anything…"

"But my steak platter…"

"I apologize for the wait. Here you go."

"Narukami! Oh, thanks. Ugh, where's Hanamura?"

"Yosuke almost fainted earlier. He's covering for a lot of people these days. Oh, that reminds me, I need to check if he ate lunch. See ya."

"Narukami-kun. Please tell Nanako that we will drop by later."

"I will. Enjoy your meal. Email me if you need me for anything."

"…aren't you a bit hard on Hanamura-kun?"

"Mou… I didn't mean to. I thought he was goofing around. Turns out I'm in the wrong, ne?"

"Hm. Then apologize, Chie."

"Yukiko! I can't…I just can't! Remember how he always urges Kuma to 'score', and how he ogles everyone, even ?"

"…right. No mercy for the damned."

"B-but Yukiko, I think we should go easy on him next time. I mean, he works real hard now. Should we cut him some slack?"

"I guess we should."

"But I'm not apologizing to Hanamura. He's an idiot for telling me he's not feeling well in the first place."

* * *

**SignsOfLove03.np4**

"Oh, welcome back onii-chan. Yep! He went home earlier than usual!"

"Who're you speaking with, Nanako?"

"It's Yosuke-nii! Ah, did you want to speak with onii-chan? Alright! I'll tell him! Bye Yosuke-nii!"

"So he called to chat with you?"

"Yup! And he can't wait to see me in a yukata too!"

"Should we prepare for that then?"

"I already have one! Do you have one too, onii-chan?"

"That's…"

"I bet it would look nice on you too!"

"I hope I have cash to spare for that…"

"Did you say anything, onii-chan?"

"I-I said yes! No problem! Hahaha…"

"Great! Summer festivals are fun! Let's buy cotton candy too!"

"Yes…"

"And I'll ask Rise-neechan for makeup tips!"

* * *

**TatsumiTextiles00.np4**

"A customer… Oh, one of Kanji's friends, I see. Can I help you?"

"I'd like to purchase a yukata, please? Anything that would fit?"

"Hm… Do have any preference in color or style?"

"Any would do. I'm not really good when it comes to traditional clothes…"

"My, my. No need to get flustered about it. Would you like to try this one?"

"…not bad! Not bad at all!"

"It seems that this one's a perfect fit. Good choice, young man."

"W-was it? Geez, I didn't even choose. Thank you for your suggestion…"

"I'll take that as a compliment. And since you're Kanji's friend, I'll give you a discount."

"Really! Sweet!"

"Now off you go, young man."

"Thank you very much! Oh crap, I've got a shift! Gotta go!"

* * *

**SignsOfLove04.np4**

"It's a concealer stick. You use it to hide nasty things like dark rings around the eyes or pimple scars. Pretty nice to cover up things when you do not have time to get facial treatments."

"Ara…Rise-chan is amazing! I want to try too!"

"But your skin is already perfect, Yukiko."

"So true. I envy you senpai… How come you have good skin despite all the misadventures that we had _there_?"

"E-eh? What are you talking about?"

"Yukiko-oneechan has good skin! Chie-neechan and Rise-neechan too!"

"Nanako-chan… Even if I eat a lot of meat, I think it helps my skin too?"

"Of course! Hagakure in Port Island serves beef bowls that said it could help preserve your youthful appearance. It's the collagen or something. They said no therapeutic claims though."

"I knew it! That's the secret for being a beautiful lady!"

"Snrk. Ahahaha! But if you fill up your mouth with gyudon, you would end up looking like this!"

"Way to go, Yukiko-senpai! A perfect rendition of Chie-senpai!"

"Stop teasing me…"

"But I wonder why onii-chan's skin is smooth."

"Was it? Give me details, Nanako-chan! Perhaps Yu-senpai has a strategy!"

"I don't know, but he takes a long time to finish his bath so he always comes in last. He also goes back to his room in the middle of it to get something before he continues. I sometimes need to clean up his wet footprints…"

"Afufufufufu~ Narukami has a secret. I could smell it like steak skewers from a kilometre away!"

"Also, his hand is always soft. Unlike Yosuke-nii who has slightly calloused hands."

"Hanamura-kun works a lot. Besides, it's usual for males to have rough hands, right?"

"Uh-huh. What gives? Yu-senpai isn't even trying hard! We always have a difficult time keeping our beauty regimen and he goes off easy? That's a little unfair."

"There should be something in Narukami-kun's room that would explain it."

"A-chaaa! Then let's check out his room!"

"N-no way I'm getting inside a-another boy's room. It's u-unlady-like!"

"Is that right, Rise-chan?"

"Mou… Maiden's honor is on the line here. It's an absolute no-no. We won't enter Yu-senpai's room, got it?"

"What about rooms?"

"Oh, onii-chan! We were just talking about a-uh-I can't say it well… Yeah! Aromatherapy rooms earlier and how can it make one's skin beautiful!"

"Eh? I've heard of those. Anyway, Yosuke and I just finished making snacks. You should dig in before the gluttons devour everything. You know Kuma and Kageyama-senpai's stomachs."

"Yup! We'll be going down in a bit, onii-chan!"

"…we're saved!"

"Nice going there Nanako-chan? You saved us from embarrassment! I'll treat you with steak at Junes!"

"But you always kick Hanamura-kun's shin just to have steak."

"He deserved it."

"For now, maiden's meeting is adjourned. I can't wait to taste Yu-senpai's cooking again! Let's continue this some other time, shall we?"

* * *

**TatsumiTextiles01.np4**

"If it isn't Kanji's friend. What can I help you with today?"

"Oh…I was wondering if you have an orange yukata?"

"You're in luck, young man. We do have one. Want to try it on?"

"Yes, please."

"It's a perfect fit. Looks good with your hair and eyes too."

"Thank you Tatsumi-san. Is it okay to ring it up? I'll take it."

"Of course. I'll give you a discount too."

"REALLY?! Erm, I mean, if it isn't too much…"

"You're one of my son's friends. It's fine to give out discounts once in a while. You've been taking good care of him. I suppose this won't hurt."

"This is too much… Is it really okay?"

"Trust me. I just like the way it fit you. That is enough for me."

"If you say so, Tatsumi-san. Thank you very much…crap! I have a shift! As much as I wanted to chat more, I'm running late for work. I appreciate this, Tatsumi-san. I've got to go. Please excuse me."

"My, my. Just like the other day…"

* * *

**Tatsuhime04.np4**

"Obaa-san, how did you meet Yu-I mean Narukami?"

"Are we having Ten Questions now, Haru-chan?"

"N-no! O-of course not! I'm just asking, that is."

"At Samegawa. He seemed like a really nice boy. Who would have the time to listen an old lady rant about how life wasn't as colourful as it was?"

"…"

"So, Haru-chan, is he the one that you're thinking about?"

"Obaa-san..!"

"Ahohoho. How did I know? We have the same bloodline. This perhaps is what you youngsters call as your 'type', ne? If I were younger, I would say that Yu-chan's my 'type' too. Also, you're about to call him 'Yu-chan' earlier, am I right?"

"I don't like lying, obaa-san…"

"And that's that. But let me warn you. He's somewhat happy, and it isn't you who's making him so."

"Must you be so blunt, obaa-san? It hurts already."

"It's bound to hurt. Are you alright with that, Haru-chan?"

"…"

"If things go wrong, just visit me I'll comfort you."

* * *

**Tatsuhime05.np4**

"Why are you still here?! What about sleeping early?!"

"Relax, Kanji. Our helpers require a break too. Besides, I'm enjoying the festivities while tending our stall as well."

"…if you say so."

"Tatsumi-san, I'm looking for a scarf. Do you have any suggestions?"

"Would you like a warm, fluffy one, or a light, silken one?"

"A warm one would be nice."

"Oh, I see. How about you scan through these? I hope you can pick something you like. I'll give you a discount too since you're with Kanji."

"Giving out discounts for the third time? What gives?"

"It's alright. It's not like we're anywhere near bankruptcy. And it looked good on them so it's justifiable. I've seen my work worn beautifully and that's enough. That yukata pair was as if it was made for them specifically. At least someone took purchase of a cancelled order. It must be fate."

"Artisan's instincts huh?"

"You have it as well Kanji."

"…I agree."

"I agree what, Kage-senpai?"

"They're beautiful together."

"The yukata? Of course. It's my old lady's craft that we're talking about here."

"Have you seen those, Tatsumi?"

"No."

"It slipped under your nose."

* * *

**Tatsuhime10.np4**

"You know what, aibou? You should take it easy. You're paler than usual."

"Says the one who collapsed a few weeks ago."

"Crap. I _fainted_. It's different from _collapsing_."

"If you say so."

"Oh well. I'll go straight to the point. Why do you make everyone worry so much? Even Nanako was totally clueless of your whereabouts."

"I didn't mean to."

"You owe everyone an apology. But having Nanako-chan smile at last, I guess it was some sort of a misunderstanding."

"That would be the case."

"As long as it's fine with everyone. Also, the girls did a great job hiding your raccoon eyes; but underneath that, you're an overworked stud. Get some rest, ne aibou? Even though we don't have mysteries to solve anymore, it doesn't mean that you can just catch a cold or anything similar. I'm sick of worrying, I might have Jiraiya 'worry'-warts soon."

"You're really bad at puns, Yosuke."

"Hah. Now you tell me."

"…I'm sorry."

"H-hey, no biggie! I-I was just saying! Don't sweat it. You make me feel like I'm the bad guy here."

"I'm sorry."

"Stop apologizing! It doesn't suit you. By the way, whoever told you to wear orange was a genius."

* * *

 _No more videos. Close application?_ **YES** NO

* * *

"To be praised by our guest's Magician is a great honor. Purchasing Keroberos is certainly one of the best yen sinks. Don't you agree, Igor-sama?"

"…"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's that. Oops. Got to cook something at the store. No lengthy after-chapter notes for now.
> 
> Sakuraba Ryuichiro, rushing to the store with an almost-finished cigarette.
> 
> Chapter update: Changed Yu-kun to Yuu-kun for consistency

**Author's Note:**

> Corrected the Channel numbers. Damn... That was a giveaway...


End file.
